


Peter Parker Vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda

by kalkoenvsneoklak



Series: Sweet Child of Mine [7]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Amazing Spider-Man (Movies - Webb)
Genre: Anxiety, Bisexual Johnny Storm, Coming Out, Demisexual Peter Parker, F/F, F/M, M/M, PTSD, Panic Attacks, Panromantic Peter Parker, Peter has always had mental difficulties, Pride Parades, Realizations, Trans Female Character, break-ups, mentions of depression
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-18
Updated: 2019-11-19
Packaged: 2020-07-08 05:17:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 83,489
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19864123
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kalkoenvsneoklak/pseuds/kalkoenvsneoklak
Summary: Recently single, Peter thinks life is finally good. But with the wake of his break-up with Felicia, some things might be happening that aren't completely in his control.Also, why do his friends have him figured out even before Peter has?





	1. The Build-up

**Author's Note:**

> Yes, that title is shamelessly stolen from the book 'Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda'. This story doesn't even come close to the book, but I dunno, I kinda liked the title and I don't own any of this anyway so whatever.  
> Originally this was going to just be a timestamp, but the whole thing ended up being way longer than expected. So I've decide to make it into three parts. So far, only part one is written, but there are plans for part two and three. The first one will be the build-up, the second will be the actual relationship, and the third will be the end of it.  
> In the case you don't want to read Peter and JOhnny breaking up again, I suggest just skipping chapter 3 alltogether. It's just that in this verse Peter does end up with MJ eventually in the future. But I figured they don't have to ALWAYS be together when they're younger. So yeah, this came out.  
> I hope you're enjoying it. It's written the way it is because it was meant as a timestamp but it just got a bit out of hand. It's not at all meant to be a full story. Just three chapters that I felt had no further place in the timestamps but deserved some space on their own. There will be a part of the actual timestamp called 'ditto' added in part 2. If you've read that one already, know that I wrote that one before I wrote this and I probably should have just kept it for this story. But it was already posted so yeah...  
> I'm rambling. it's one in the night. I need to work in a couple of hours. Should probably go to sleep.  
> Have a good night, y'all!

__

##  January 15th 2025

To be fair, being single is working out just fine for him.

Really, it does. Sure it sucked when MJ announced she would be going to Wakanda for her studies and eventually came back being the girlfriend of the Princess, and it had sucked just as much when Peter had finally started to trust Felicia, only to have her lies thrown back in his face. To be fair, ending that relationship was hard but very necessary.

Yeah, no, now single once more, busy with his finalsecond-to-last year at MIT, Peter feels… free again. He can swing around New York without having to worry about being home in time to avoid an angry girlfriend. His Dad nor Aunt May have a curfew for him to follow through. So, yeah, this moment in his life is just simply him and nobody else.

He’s in New York for the week. He’s already been at the apartment he’d been sharing with Johnny but nobody’s home there. Ned and Johnny must be out somewhere. It’s alright, he still has the entire weekend to see them, after all.

It feels good to be back here. In all truth, Peter misses New York whenever he’s in Massachusetts. The familiarity of the streets, the people. Just the city that never sleeps. There’s barely anything for Spidey to do at MIT. There’s he’s just plainly Peter Parker – not Peter Stark, mind you! That guy only appears whenever the press needs him to appear. And appearing as him takes a lot of preparation from Tony’s whole PR-team.

As Peter swings by and pulls another kid from the street as he was about to be ran over by a train, that same thrill as always goes through him. The kid is happy to see him, even though a bit starstruck. When his mother thanks Peter, he offers to have a picture with him, but only if he promises to watch when he crosses the street next time.

And a couple of hours later, eventually, Peter takes a moment to relax and enjoy a slice of pizza on the top of a roof where he’s completely out of view. He snatches off the helmet after another quick conversation with Karen and digs in.

The pizza is only half-eaten when he hears something behind him. It sounds like… flames?

“Johnny!” Peter calls out with his mouth full. When he turns he does see him appear, still completely aflame. He hovers above him for a bit but eventually drops down on the ground and stops burning.

“Hey, dude, I saw you swinging around. I didn’t know you were coming back for the weekend?” Peter stands up and moves in to hug Johnny, who returns the gesture and gently slaps him on the back as is the usual manly-embrace people seem to be going for.

“Yeah, I came by the apartment but you weren’t there,” Peter admits. Johnny nods.

“No, I was at the Baxter Building. Reed updated my suit. You like it?” Johnny opens up his arms as he shows off the outfit he’s wearing. Peter looks at it, though not seeing any difference. When he voices his opinion, Johnny rolls his eyes. “The symbol is in another font. And the suit can sustain more heat now.”

“Oh, whoa, those are big changes,” Peter jokes. Johnny pokes him in the side, making Peter squeal as he tries to escape the tickling.

Hanging out with Johnny has been going better since that whole one-sided crush thing he’d been dealing with. After the kiss that wasn’t meant to be he avoided him for a bit until the whole Venom-business, but even then they didn’t hang out as much as before despite living together. For a long time during his relationship with Felicia Peter _felt_ the jealousy Johnny radiated and felt horribly guilty for putting him through that.

To this day, Peter’s not sure where Johnny stands on the matter of his crush. They’ve been fine but that might as well be because of Peter being single now.

Yeah, no, and asking him about it is a serious no-no.

“So what’s up, buddy?” Johnny asks as he sits down next to the pizza box. There he takes one out of it, heating it back up with his hands and taking a bite. Peter rolls his eyes but sits down as well.

“Nothing much. Last year and all. Though I’m ready for it to be over and to just go work.” Peter chews on his piece while Johnny swallows down his lump.

“What’cha planning on doing, then?” he asks. Peter shrugs.

“I dunno. Maybe work for my dad’s. Start up a biological department so we can combine biology and engineering. It could be a big breakthrough for the medical world.”

“It sure would.” Johnny sighs happily grabbing for another piece once his is gone. “You should come by the apartment with me. Ned will be back tonight. And you could crash; you can bunk in with me, I don’t mind.”

Yeah, that’s what Peter’s worried for. He still smiles. “That’s cool. And I’d love to hang out, but I think I’m still going to sleep in my own bed at the tower.”

“Oh, c’mon. I promise you I won’t try anything funny.” Johnny winks. Peter rolls his eyes again. The hesitation must still be obvious on his face because Johnny straightens a bit, his face falling serious. “I mean it, Pete. I can handle it. Besides, I had this hot date yesterday and I think it might become something eventually.”

“You serious? Somebody I know?” Peter is genuinely happy that Johnny’s finally forgoing all the one-night-stands and tries his hand at dating for good this time. For a long while he never thought the wild stallion that was Johnny Storm would be tamed.

“Nah, just a girl I met at the bar a while back,” Johnny shrugs. “Her name’s Melissa. She’s cool.”

“Nice.” Peter nods in agreement.

“She also used to be a ‘he’ a couple years ago.”

“Oh,” Peter starts, clearing his throat. “I mean, good for her. She fully transitioned yet?”

Johnny shakes his head. “Nah, she’s a bit afraid of surgery. Of course, that was just the polite way of asking if she still has her penis. The answer to that question is ‘yes’.”

Johnny leans back on his hands, looking up at the dark sky. There aren’t any stars – there never are. That’s something Peter really misses here. He sighs again, leaning back as well once the pizza box is empty. Then he shakes his head and sighs one more time.

“Okay, fine, I’ll sleep over,” he agrees. “We gonna watch a movie tonight, perhaps?”

“How about we watch that awful Spider-Man movie, huh? The one where they got your secret identity super wrong and you’re actually a complete bore?”

“I think that was an actual compliment coming from you,” Peter realizes. “Also, no, we are not watching that movie.”

“Ah, come on, it’s hilarious! Especially that whole thing about your girlfriend becoming an actress! Can you imagine MJ becoming an actress?”

Peter glares at him. Johnny ignores it.

“Also that whole thing with the Green Goblin being your best friend’s dad? Imagine that plot twist!” Now Johnny’s actually laughing as he speaks. He knows how much Peter hates that movie – especially because they messed up his character completely and made him generally unlikable as a friend and family member. When they went to see it in the theaters Tony had laughed his ass off the entire time they were in there. It’s safe to say that eventually they politely asked him to leave as the movie was not intended to be a comedy and he was ruining it for the others.

“No, no, the best part must have been when-“

“Johnny!”

“C’mon, Peter! Or should I say ‘Paul Peterson’?”

Peter slaps him on the shoulder. Johnny chuckles, ignoring the hit as he eventually gets back on his feet.

“You done?” Peter asks.

“Yeah, I’m done. C’mon, let’s head back. Race you for it?”

Peter hesitates shortly. Then he nods. “Alright, but no cheating.”

There’s always cheating. Besides, being able to fly and bypass so many streets, Johnny always wins. But it’s fun anyway so Peter never says no unless he’s _really_ not in the mood. And much like suspected, once Peter arrives at the apartment Johnny’s already there.

Ned arrives in the middle of the ‘Justice League’ movie Johnny had eventually begrudgingly agreed to put on. They have a bowl of pop corn between them and there’s a whole bottle of coke on the ground for them to share.

“Y’know, it’s too bad that was the last time Affleck played Batman. He wasn’t too bad,” Johnny says with his mouth full. Peter rolls his eyes.

“You only say that because you think he’s hotter than Pattinson,” Ned counters, reaching to the bowl on Peter’s lap to take a share of popcorn.

“Everybody’s hotter than Pattinson.” In his excitement Johnny accidentally drops some corn on the ground. But, hey, it’s his house and not Peter’s; It’s not his business anymore. “I mean, they took Twilight?”

“Pattinson wasn’t bad,” Peter assures him. “It’s just that the character of Batman they were going for was too much of a knock-off of my Dad. They had him perfect with the Dark Knight trilogy, though.”

“Hmmm, yeah, Christian Bale was a true dreamboat in those,” Johnny agrees.

“Johnny, you shouldn’t like movies because of hot actors or actresses. How about actually looking at the talent?” Ned seems to find it amusing anyway, despite the eye-roll being extremely audible in his voice.

“Hey, I’m not that shallow!” Johnny points up his finger. Another piece of popcorn goes flying and now Ned actually ‘tsks’ at him.

“Really? Name one movie with a hot actor that completely sucks.”

“Well, there’s the one we’re watching right now? I mean, everybody’s hot. Especially Momoa – holy damn I would do him no hesitation. But the movie itself? Eh, not that great.”

“Then why did you want to watch it tonight?” Peter asks in annoyance. After all, he’s watched Man Of Steel a few years back with his Dad but steered off the whole franchise after that. The only one he really liked was Wonder Woman, which MJ had made him watch.

“Because of the eye-candy,” Johnny jokes. “C’mon, don’t tell me you don’t appreciate Wonder Woman huh?”

Peter gives him a dry look. Johnny’s eyes widen.

“Uhm, that question was directed at Ned?” he tries. Peter pulls at his hair and focuses back on the movie.

The conversation drops, but Peter still finds himself frowning each time Aquaman comes in view. While at first he never really had any sort of feeling towards the character, now he finds him annoying. In his head he’s already made the silent vow not to ever watch his standalone movie. Though when his mind clears up a bit and he asks himself why he’s come to that conclusion, he can’t tell.

They decide to head to bed after the movie. Peter claims the bathroom first, using the toothbrush that he’s left behind for occasions like these to clean his teeth. There’s an old t-shirt of his lingering around somewhere, perhaps. He digs through a couple of drawers until he finally finds his old gym-shirt. Due to him rarely breaking a sweat during those classes, the shirt never actually smelled.

Once prepared for the night he gives the bathroom back to the two people actually living here. He heads to his old bedroom, taking a look and finding that it’s complete structure has been changed. Peter’s bed had been against the wall in the back. Ned’s is in the middle of the room. It’s a lot less messy with him. Peter always had clothes and school stuff lingering around, after all.

“Hey, you forgot where my room is?” he hears Johnny ask behind him. Peter chuckles, though he doesn’t move.

“Nah, just being a bit nostalgic. We had fun being roommates, didn’t we?” he asks. Johnny comes to stand next to him, looking inside as well.

“Yeah,” he agrees though his tone sounds not as convincing. Peter doesn’t question it, he knows parts of being Peter’s roommate must have sucked for him. He hadn’t thought about it before but now it’s obvious. He feels a bit stupid pointing it out. “C’mon.”

Peter follows Johnny at last, giving the room a final glance before he turns around. The other room is just behind the door on their right. Once inside Johnny keeps the door open slightly. He only ever sleeps with the door closed whenever he’s gotten another partner with him, Peter knows. It calms his nerves knowing that it’s still open now.

Johnny doesn’t speak much. He simply gets under the covers and reaches for the light switch. Before he hits it he looks back at Peter. “You comin’?” he asks.

“Yeah, yeah, on my way,” Peter assures him. He quickly joins in underneath the sheets, lying down on his back with his eyes stuck on the ceiling. Johnny kills the light, shifting until his back is facing Peter. For a moment it’s quiet, making Peter wonder if they’re actually going to sleep right away. Normally people talk on for a little while, right?

“Hey, Pete?” Johnny suddenly starts, confirming Peter’s small theory.

“Yeah?”

“I just wanted to say… thing don’t have to awkward okay? All that from a few years back, that’s over. I mean I know you want to be friendly – you always do – but we shouldn’t beat around the bush about it.”

Peter sighs, putting his hands on his belly over the sheets. He turns his head a bit to the side but doesn’t remove his eyes from the ceiling. “I guess I just didn’t want to make it difficult for you. I know it mustn’t have been easy for you to keep me as your roommate at the time…”

“It’s okay,” Johnny admits. “I’m over it. I’m dating now, aren’t I? Just stop walking on eggshells around me. You’re not hurting me with your presence.”

Great. Good, that’s good. Super. It’s super fine. Yeah, okay. Peter’s glad.

“I’m glad you’re my friend,” Peter tells him. Johnny smiles audibly.

“Me, too,” he gets in return. Nothing more is said after that. Peter turns onto his side, his back facing Johnny’s. And eventually he drifts into a peaceful sleep.

* * *

##  January 16th 2025

It’s been a good dream, Peter figures.

He’s not too sure. After all, he doesn’t remember what it was about, only that it’s giving him a warm feeling from whatever happiness must be happening during it. Peter sighs happily, snuggling further against the hot body he’s next to. Automatically he throws his arm around it. He breathes loudly through his nose, wondering if perhaps Felicia’s running a fever given her sudden spike in temperature. He frowns, about to ask it when a thought comes to mind.

He isn’t with Felicia anymore…

Peter’s eyes open up. As soon as he sees Johnny in front of him he realizes everything that happened yesterday; them meeting up, Johnny offering to stay over. Johnny promising that Peter didn’t have anything to worry about.

But Peter’s seriously making this awfully difficult for him if he keeps on doing shit like this, right? Quickly though carefully he distances himself back from him, mindful of the sleeping form next to him. At least now he knows why he’s close to sweating from the heat. Johnny’s always been extremely warm. It would have been awfully hard to explain that if he had an actual secret identity.

By the time Peter’s out of the bed he rubs his eyes and yawns. He must have been more exhausted than he thought. Scratching his hair he exits Johnny’s room, glancing another short look at his sleeping best friend and suddenly grinning.

He’s never seen Johnny sleep. It’s almost adorable. Peter quickly grabs his cellphone from his jeans on the chair and catches a quick shot of his friend. It’s good blackmail material, after all. Still grinning down at his phone he barely realizes Ned is already up. He’s preparing himself a cup of coffee, his hair wild and seeming untamable.

“Pete, you want coffee?” Ned asks the moment he notices him. Peter startles, lowering his phone and smiling at his friend.

“Yeah, man, cool!” He locks his phone and sits down at the table, gladly taking the cup from Ned the moment it’s handed to him. “So you were working yesterday?”

Ned shakes his head. “Nah, Betty and I went out again.”

“You’re serious? I thought she didn’t want to see you again?” Peter takes a sip, squinting when he feels how hot the coffee really is. He should probably wait a bit.

“Yeah, I think she doesn’t entirely hate me anymore. Anyway, we talked, had some fun. She’s been hired at a local news station so we’ll be seeing more of her on TV. Local TV, that is. It’s a small channel.”

“I’ll make sure to keep my eyes open for it,” Peter chuckles. Everybody’s getting their lives on track, it seems. MJ works at the Daily Bugle writing articles about social justice. Flash, he… Well, Peter’s not too sure what Flash is doing with his life. He’s pretty sure he started college with a football scholarship but he’s not too sure the guy actually graduated since he suddenly wasn’t at their school anymore.

Then there’s Harry, who is now the CEO of Oscorp and is actually doing a damn well job at it, working for affordable vaccines and medications for the world. Shit, Peter hasn’t seen him in a while. He should probably go and say hello when he heads out.

“So you’re surviving with Johnny as your roommate?” Peter then eventually asks as he grabs a loaf of bread and starts preparing himself some breakfast. Ned laughs.

“Yeah, man, it’s just fine. He seems a bit different, though. Hasn’t been bringing ‘visitors’ for the past few weeks. At first I thought he was getting sick but then I heard he’s actually started dating? I guess he’s growing up.”

“How ‘bout that. Our boy’s becoming a man,” Peter jokes. Yet his attempt at being funny falls short on himself. His laugh feels fake. It takes all he has not to start frowning. Holy crap, man, that dream of his must have fucking him up. Too bad he can’t really remember it.

“You heard from MJ, though?” Ned has an eyebrow raised, his voice careful. Peter shrugs. People shouldn’t be careful to mention MJ. They’re friends, after all.

“She’s fine,” he says. “Heading out to Wakanda next summer break as far as I know. Can’t be easy, having a long-distance relationship like that.”

“I thought Shuri came to the States a lot?”

“At first, yeah, but she’s been busy recreating the flower of the Black Panther power, since their cousin destroyed them all.” Peter sighs. He hasn’t seen Shuri in such a long time. Back when they were younger and life was easier, things were great. Adulthood just has to destroy everything.

They don’t talk after that. Ned just starts up the TV and puts on the morning news. There’s the usual; the whole stuff with the new president, a news coverage from a place near Wakanda where they can see some footage of T’Challa saving the day. It’s the third one that troubles him and makes him stand.

A bank robbery? With cops stationed outside and hostages taken? Sounds like a job for him. Peter smashes his sandwich in his mouth, runs back to the living room where he had discarded his suit and quickly puts it back on.

“Tell Johnny thanks for letting me crash!” Peter calls out, and before Ned can say anything he’s already out, back into the streets of New York.

* * *

##  January 24th 2025

A week after that there’s a Gala at Stark Industries that Peter’s supposed to attend. That’s alright, it’s not like he doesn’t have tons of homework from school – that was his initial excuse but both he and Tony know that he can finish all of that in just an hour or so. It’s just that Peter really didn’t want to go.

Of course, he’s still a child in their eyes, so he doesn’t have much of a choice, so his arrival in New York goes along with the usual make-over that turns him from Peter Parker to Peter stark. They give him his blue contacts, put on his longer wig to make his hair seem longer and lighter, and then add all the make-up that always makes him sneeze whenever they start with it.

The decision to make Peter Stark look so different was made by Peter a while back, when people at the college started pointing out despite his glasses that they looked alike. So yeah, blue contacts, nearly-black hair and just a different stance makes a lot of difference. After that, nobody noticed him again, which is exactly how he always wanted it.

But that also means that now he has to keep on looking like Peter Stark whenever he has to. And that, in turn, means a lot of preparation. But each time they’re finished the result is there, at least that he has to admit.

“Well, Dad, am I looking Stark now?” Peter holds up his hands, grinning towards his father who looks every bit Tony Stark right now.

“I can hardly recognize you,” he jokes. He walks towards him to straighten his tie and then throws an arm around his shoulder. “You okay?”

Peter frowns. “Yeah, why?” he wonders in curiosity. Tony just shrugs.

“Steve and I have simply been worried, is all. We know you were pretty upset about Felicia but you never really talked to us about it. We were just afraid that it was still bothering you, perhaps.”

One of the costume-people quickly enters the room to pick up a bag she left behind. She gives him a quick wave and a smile before leaving the two alone in the room again. Probably to start working on Steve.

“I’m fine,” he says. And truly, he does feel fine. Sure it sucked at first; he’d finally been used to be in a relationship and then suddenly he wasn’t again. He’d formed such a bond with her, and then to realize that she broke her promise and went behind his back all the time… No, he did not like it at all. And for all his good conscience he couldn’t be with a girl that does crime while he tries all he can to stop it.

“You sure?”

“Dad, it’s been half a year since we broke up. I promise you that I’m no longer emotionally broken from being single again.” He offers Tony a quick smile before chuckling. “Besides, it’s so much fun being single!”

Tony laughs. “It’s been a while for me,” he admits. He moves to pat Peter’s head, only stopping when he remembers he’s wearing a wig. Instead, he kisses his forehead in that way he always does as he holds him.

“Daaad!” Peter tries to shove him off, but also not really. Tony simply laughs, kissing him once more and then letting go of him at last.

“I should check on Steve. Your friends coming tonight?”

“Uh, I asked around. Ned couldn’t come but Johnny and Harry will be there,” he says. Tony nods.

“At least Wade’s not joining us,” he gets out in obvious relief. Peter laughs.

“He rarely needs an invitation to come along anyway. Only this time I heard he’s in New Asgard so there won’t be any surprise.”

“Good.” Tony gestures at him as a goodbye and then exits the room. Peter turns to look back at himself. It’s true what his father said; he’s a complete different person like this. The make-up makes his whole facial features look a whole lot different, too. It’s incredible.

Peter can’t help but smile as he thinks of all their talents when he hears his phone go off on the table. It’s a text, he realizes. He straightens his jacket again and then moves to pick it up, unlocking it and checking out who sent him.

  * _Heya, Pete. Ill b there tonite but is it OK if Melissa joins? C u then. Johnny_



Peter frowns. Something pulls at his chest at the words; he thought it was going to be a good night out with friends. Harry’s also already bringing Liz! Liz! Of all people he could bring as a date he had to bring the girl whose life Peter practically ruined! He can’t handle hanging out with _two_ couples who are probably getting hornier by the minute. It’s not unusual when he hangs out with them and they’re with somebody they’re interested with. It was often that way with Johnny back when they were roommates.

  * **_Sure_** _._



He realizes he’s being a bit short but it’s just that he really doesn’t look forward to this party. It’s always business-people coming to shake his hand and asking him when he’s taking over the company. And then there’s Tony gushing over him and telling them all how proud he is. Not that Peter minds that last part too much but it’s often getting embarrassing. At least Steve will be there to tone him down a bit.

  * _U okay?_
  * **_M fine. Just don’t wanna party._**
  * _Oh c’mon, itll be fine. Trust me ;-)_



Peter shakes his head and drops his phone. He’s not entirely in the mood for answering further. Instead he casts another quick look at the mirror and nods to himself.

Well, fine, if they’re all bringing a date, so should Peter probably. Only, who can he really take along? It’s not like he can just go and call Felicia. Yaël is in New Asgard and MJ… well. MJ could be possible. Or Wanda, though it’s possible she’s already going with Vision as her date. In fact, Peter has no idea who’s coming.

He decides to just text MJ. There shouldn’t be a problem in that, right? They can go as friends, that’s fine. Shuri won’t mind them going together. At least, he hopes so. He really doesn’t want to get in an argument with the Princess of Wakanda.

Hmm, maybe it’s better not to ask MJ. But if he doesn’t she might also take it personally.

He quickly picks his phone back up.

  * **_Hey M, you in for a gala?_**
  * _I have to wear a dress?_
  * **_You can wear whatever you want. Also it’s not a date, it’s just us being friends. Because we’re friends._**
  * _I got that, don’t worry ;). When do I have to be there?_
  * **_‘round eight? At Stark Tower?_**
  * _Don’t give me a lot of time to work with, why don’t you! I’ll fix something. It’s a friend-date! Friend!_



Peter sighs in relief, glad that he’s no longer going to be alone this evening. He smiles as he pockets his phone and exits the room. Time to head out.

MJ has him figured out in just a matter of minutes. She’s wearing a dark red suit and her dark hair is pulled back into a messy bun. Despite how it sounds, she actually looks rather classy. It’s a bit confusing in all honesty.

Things aren’t awkward between them anymore. He tells the truth when he says that they’re just friends. He’s glad to just be friends with her, too. And he’s glad that she’s happy with Shuri. It had sucked a lot at first, to know that your ex-girlfriend went off with another girl. Now he’s extremely excited about knowing that she’s happy.

“Let me guess, the reason you asked me so late was because you didn’t want to be the only one without a date,” she points out in amusement. Peter grunts, not too sure about what to answer to that. Harry’s already there with Liz, who only nodded at him awkwardly – she probably doesn’t even know who he is, too. Johnny and his Melissa aren’t here, yet.

“That… could be true,” Peter admits. MJ smirks, pulling at his arm and poking him in the side. Peter being extremely ticklish yelps and quickly jumps aside.

“That’s what you get, little spider,” she jokes. “You better rock my world this evening. Also, I’m gonna talk with Liz so bye.” MJ lets go of him and approaches Harry just as a couple of his Dad’s associates come up to him to shake his hand again.

It’s seriously exhausting, keeping up small-talk like he’s actually interested in the conversation. By the time MJ comes to rescue him again by handing him a (non-alcoholic) drink, Peter excuses himself to rejoin his friends. Harry greets him with a wide smile and a handshake (normally a hug, but that would be his greeting for Peter Parker, not Peter Stark).

“Hey, buddy, see you made it out alright,” he notes. Peter rolls his eyes.

“Vultures, all of them. They would rather have me take over the company. But as long as Pepper’s willing to do it I’m not stepping in.” Peter looks at MJ who smiles back. They’ve had that conversation a while back and she agreed with his point of view. Especially since he’s still finishing school. Getting his second and third degree at the same time.

Liz seems a bit taken aback upon hearing the word ‘Vulture’, and Peter’s about ready to kick himself for using it. Sure, Peter Stark could not know about Liz’ father being the Vulture, but the real Peter still does. He can’t really apologize, anyway, though he’s glad when he sees Harry put his hand upon hers and gives her a comforting smile.

“Peter, I suppose I’ve not yet introduced you to my girlfriend Liz Allen. She used to live here a couple of years back before she moved away with her mother and her sister.” Liz holds out her free hand and Peter shakes it with an awkward smile.

 _Hey, I’m the one who put your father in jail and destroyed your entire family. Also sorry you had to change your last name to escape your father’s crimes_.

Yeah, no, not a good way to introduce himself.

“Miss Allen,” he greets her. “Nice to meet you. I hope you’re having fun tonight?”

“Harry’s been very entertaining so far. But in fact I’m very honored to meet you, too.”

 _No, you’re not. You should hate me_. MJ’s look on her face seems like she knows exactly what he’s thinking. She holds him by the arm in comfort, silently telling him that it’s not his fault. Peter knows that technically it isn’t – he’s had enough conversations with Dr. Cho about it. But that doesn’t make it feel less like it is.

Right when he’s about to say something the doors open for the next guests (the latecomers by now) to get in. Peter turns, looking behind him. The music in the background quiets down a bit, the conversations dropping as well as everybody seems to want to see who it is.

First come in Sue and Richard. Sue is wearing a long blue dress and has her blonde hair pulled up neatly. Her lips are fiery red. She looks simply stunning. Reed is wearing a simple dark-blue suit with a bowtie. They look ever the bit the married couple they are; happy and in love.

Next is Ben with his fiancée Alicia. The blind woman is wearing a long colorful dress and her curly hair is loose. Ben has a suit made for him. The four of them look a bit apologetic for their tardiness. Peter can see his father come up to them, shaking Reeds hand and getting a hug from Sue. They must be apologizing for arriving just now. Tony shakes it of and guides them along to some people he probably wants them to meet. Ben and Alicia head off their own way, probably to get a drink.

Now that Ben is out of view Peter can see Johnny at last. He’s in a dark red suit. His hair – recently cut off because half of it got burned – is slicked back. On his arm stands an extremely beautiful woman with long red hair. Her eyes and lips are dark, her dress extremely form-fitting and red as well. She seems excited, her hand hooked into Johnny’s.

 _Melissa_ , he figures. Exactly Johnny’s type, too. Good for him. Good. Great. How could they not like each other? She’s beautiful, Johnny’s… also beautiful according to a lot of people. Just seeing these two near-perfect human beings standing next to each other makes Peter think that their babies would have been breathtaking would they have been able to have some.

Johnny smiles as he leans to the side to whisper something to Melissa. He doesn’t seem to have found them yet.

“Peter, you okay?” MJ asks next to him, holding on to his arm again as she tries to get his attention. Peter startles. The music starts playing once more, the conversations around him picking back up. Peter shakes his head, blinking in surprise as he turns to MJ.

“Yeah, why?” he asks. MJ frowns.

“Because you just broke your glass?” She points at his hand where the wine-glass indeed has been severed in two. A drop of blood comes down on the floor where he must have cut himself without realizing it.

“Shit,” he mutters. Instinctively he drops the glass – which was empty, luckily. It makes a loud noise on the floor, attracting some attention from the other partygoers, including Tony. “Crap.”

“Peter?” MJ asks. She can’t really say much else when suddenly Tony is on him.

“Pete you okay?” he asks, automatically hovering over him. Peter rolls his eyes.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” he assures him. “Just forgot my strength for a moment.” He pulls the wound to his mouth where he attempts to lick it clean when MJ stops him.

“Dude, that’s gross,” she says. “Let me have a look in the bathroom.”

Peter rolls his eyes but agrees. She guides him out of the room, knowing exactly where to go while behind he hears Tony asking for somebody to come clean his mess up. Some people are talking in hushed voices. A glance backwards and he can see Johnny looking his way in worry.

He gives him a wave, assuring him that he’s fine.

It feels like a relief to be away from the crowd. Peter catches his breath for a moment, walking to the sink where he washes away the blood and takes a better look at the cut. It doesn’t look too deep and knowing him it will be healed in only two or three days. Not too much to worry about.

“So what’s on your mind?” MJ asks. She moves to the cabinet, taking out a first aid kit she must have known was there. Just how often has she been here?

“Nothing, why?” Peter wonders. MJ pulls his hand out of the stream, drying it off with some sterile tissues. Then she takes some antiseptic and dabs over it gently. Peter barely feels it.

“I mean, something must have bothered you enough to break a wine glass, don’t you think?”

There’s something in her voice; something Peter can’t place. He looks at her, trying to decipher it from her but failing miserably at it. Eventually Peter shakes his head.

“I dunno, there wasn’t anything making me angry,” he admits. Not that he can think of. Perhaps the fact that the Fantastic Four were later, but that’s not really something that bothers him enough to break a glass. He doesn’t really care about that; it’s not his party, after all.

MJ stays quiet as she cleans the wound. Then she dries it off again before putting a bandage on it. Since it’s on the palm of his hand it surely won’t hold for long but it’s a start. Her attempt of keeping it on a bit longer is by adding extra bandage around the hand.

“Johnny’s date looked cute,” MJ suddenly says.

“Yeah,” he agrees before sighing.

“What, you don’t like her?”

“Why would I not like her? I don’t know her?” Peter’s voice goes up a bit, confused by MJ’s sudden ‘accusation’. He’s not in the habit of not liking people he doesn’t know. He’s pretty sure this Melissa must be a great lady, especially if she’s managed to get Johnny to actually _date_ her.

“Oh, no reason.” MJ shrugs, her voice indicating that she most certainly had her reason for asking. Peter wants to press on for a little bit longer but eventually decides to let it go. It doesn’t matter anyway. He goes to sit down on the ground, leaning his head against the counter with his eyes closed.

MJ stays quiet before sitting down next to him. She leans her head against his shoulder, holding on to his arm in silence.

“You know you can tell me anything, right?” she asks him calmly. Her dark eyes look up to his, and he wonders what she must think looking back at now blue ones where there should be brown ones.

“Of course I know that,” Peter assures her. He gives her a little smile and then puts his head upon hers. This feels good, safe. Peter’s happy to have this just now. “I just wanna stay here for a bit.”

“I don’t mind.” She puts her hand on his, squeezing his fingers and not letting go. Peter closes his eyes, hearing the dull sound of the party from behind the doors. He has no idea how long he’s been here, but eventually the door opens again to reveal Tony and Steve, both seeming worried due to Peter not re-emerging. MJ then quickly stands up, straightening her clothes and clearing her throat.

“I’ll leave you alone,” she tells him, passing a hand through Peter’s wig and heading to the door. As she passes Tony and Steve she gives them a small nod and smile. She closes the door behind her.

“Pete, you okay?” Tony immediately asks as soon as she’s gone. He kneels down in front of him, checking his hand out to assure that it’s well taken care of.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” he says. “Just tired, is all.”

“Oh, son, I know you don’t like going to these types of things; I still hate it, too. I’m sorry that I made you come here.” Tony sighs sadly. Steve kneels down next to him, putting a hand on his knee to calm him down.

“You wanna go up? Back to the penthouse?” Steve suggests. Peter shakes his head.

“Nah. My friends are here. I wanna hang out with them.” He gives them a smile. “I promise, I’m doing fine. I just forgot my own strength for a moment, is all.”

Peter gets back on his feet without much trouble. The same goes for Steve, while Tony still grunts a bit. Steve holds him by the arm to guide him up better.

“C’mon, let’s have some fun.”

Steve laughs. Tony groans again.

They get back outside without further comment on it. Peter nods at his Dad, watching him return to Pepper while Steve heads to Sue and Reed. Peter takes a deep breath and tries to clear his mind. Looking at where they had been before he sees that the others are still there, now with MJ again. They seem to be listening to something this Melissa is saying. Something that seems rather funny, too. Peter becomes curious.

The others cheer when he returns. Melissa’s story gets interrupted when Johnny lets go of her and walks up to him to give him a strong hug.

“Pete, my man! You worried me for a moment!” Johnny sounds amused and glad. Peter pats him on the back. “You okay?”

“Yeah, man, I’m fine. Totally fine.” He pulls away from him, nodding towards the redhead he came with. “Aren’t you gonna introduce me?”

“Oh, yeah! Totally!” Johnny steps back, wrapping an arm around Melissa’s middle and pulling her closer to him. “Pete, this is Melissa, my date. Melissa, this is my best bud, Peter.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Peter,” Melissa says, holding out her hand much like Liz did. Peter shakes it without hesitation, offering her a polite smile. “Johnny’s told me so much about you, for a moment I was worried I had to be jealous.”

She tries to make a joke, and the others laugh except for Johnny who presses his lips together awkwardly – and out of her eyesight. Peter fakes a laugh, rolling his eyes.

“You don’t say. I hope he hasn’t told you anything bad about me?”

“Oh, Heavens no! Except that you’re not really good with the girls?” She grins again. Of course, Johnny wouldn’t have told her everything about him so she can’t know that Peter’s lack of picking up girls isn’t because he hasn’t gotten any game.

“I must say, Peter was a wonderful boyfriend when we were together,” MJ quickly comes to his rescue. She puts a hand on his chest and smiles back at Melissa.

“Oh, you aren’t together anymore?” the girl seems confused. “I thought you were his date?”

“We’re friends. This is a friends-date. I got a girlfriend now so I’m kinda taken.” MJ winks at Peter who chuckles nervously.

“That reminds me, MJ, I haven’t seen you in such a long time. You’ve never told me how exactly you and Shuri got together?” Liz saves the conversation by stepping in. “I know you went to Wakanda for a bit but what, you suddenly ended up dating the Princess? Just like that? How did you even meet her?”

“Wait, you’re with the Princess of Wakanda?” Melissa’s eyes widen and her mouth drops open. And the girls continue their conversation while the guys stand there. Peter’s sure Harry’s listening. Johnny probably too, though he’s heard the story before as well.

Hearing MJ’s voice fade out as she tells the tale of her stay at Wakanda, Peter looks over at his friends. First there’s Harry, who has finally decided to wear his hair a bit more mature without the ‘emo-fringe’, as Peter liked to call it. Of course, the only reason he’d carry his hair like that was because of the scars he sustained from being the Goblin. The scars on the lower half of his face he hides by keeping a beard.

Harry had taken up the superhero life for a bit, using the Goblin’s gears but with some paint jobs to wipe away the ‘Green’ part of the goblin. Yet still, the moment he got to take over Oscorp he decided to quit that, too.

Liz, next to him, looks a bit different than how Peter remembers last seeing her. Her hair seems lighter, like she’s bleached it a bit. It’s wavy, long. She could be a model, he figures. The dress she’s wearing is a complete contrast to the one she’d been wearing at prom; short, tight, leaves nothing to the imagination. It’s not exactly Peter’s style but who is he to tell her what she should wear?

Then there’s Johnny. The man who’d like to think that he’s matured in the seven years that Peter’s known him, though that could barely been said. Sure, he’s lost the surfer-haircut that hasn’t been in since 2010, but instead he’s taken more of a hipster-style, which has also been out of date since 2018. He’s cleanly shaven, his blue eyes burning with excitement as he listens. At least Peter thinks he’s listening. His mind might also be wandering off.

Johnny looks relaxed. His shoulders are loose, the one arm that is around Melissa’s shoulder almost looking like they belong in that stance. His other hand is on his hip, which means that he’s not holding a drink. He’s probably driving.

He starts smiling again, making dimples appear on his cheeks. His teeth are practically perfect but Peter knows that’s due to the braces he used to have when he was a kid. He’s a nail-biter, too, but not to the extreme. Peter only knows that because he’s seen him do it when he gets nervous. It’s obvious that he pays enough attention to his nails to keep them presentable. Probably he gets the occasional manicure. Peter wouldn’t be surprised.

“… so yeah, that’s how I ended up with a princess as a girlfriend,” MJ concludes her story. Peter startles back into reality with that. He blinks, realizing he must have been staring for a moment. Luckily nobody noticed.

“Whoa, that’s incredible!” Melissa states. She looks like she was completely into the story. Peter hadn’t exactly been when he first heard but that was only because he’d been a bit more bitter back then. But hey, that’s almost three years ago now! Things are different now!

“And how’d you take that, Peter?” Melissa asks.

“Oh, Pete was obviously happy for her but at the same time he’d been sulking for weeks, afraid that he’d turn his girlfriend gay by being such a bad boyfriend.” Johnny’s smile is contagious, even while he’s making fun of him.

“I wasn’t sulking!” Peter counters. MJ pats his chest again.

“Don’t worry, tiger. In the case that we both end up being single again I’m willing to give us another shot.” She winks at him, probably meaning that as a joke. He’s not too sure.

“I’ll take you up on that deal,” he agrees before he realizes even doing so. It’s probably going to be forgotten again in the morning.

“So you don’t have a girlfriend, then?” Melissa asks. Man, she’s really nosy, isn’t she?

“Uh, I had one but we broke up a couple months ago,” he admits.

“Oh no, she didn’t cheat, did she?”

Peter chuckles. “She didn’t. But she did lie about something incredibly big. But it’s okay, I’m over it now.” He shrugs. They’d been together for an entire year – not _that_ long to be fair but still long enough for it to hurt.

It seems that the questions have finally stopped. Instead, the guys chat along each other while MJ keeps the girls distracted for a bit. They go dancing for a short bit once the evening gets older and some of the guests have already gone.

By the time everybody heads home Peter’s almost disappointed. He was actually enjoying himself, hanging out with his friends.

But it’s fine. He’s still got Saturday and Sunday to hang out with them.

* * *

##  February 1st, 2025

It’s not like he can head to New York every weekend. Sometimes there are group projects that need working on or there’s just too much homework that he wants to finish way before the due date, meaning that he stays in Massachusetts during that time. He always tells May and Tony whenever that’s the case just so they don’t worry he’s suddenly not there.

This particular Saturday has been filled with nothing but schoolwork. A schoolproject that he and his partner Sarah wanted to finish before today. Much to his surprise, they actually succeeded at it, having designed a small hovering device that could serve as a table to hold certain things like a mirror for example, or anything else that would use up a hand normally.

Peter’s a bit excited to start building it, but that won’t be for later this week during the class; the teachers don’t like them building things without supervision, which is rather stupid given that they’re gonna have to do that anyway once they graduate.

It’s eight in the evening when Peter, holding a bag with Chinese takeout for two (he always takes extra so he has something to eat tomorrow), enters his apartment. He doesn’t have a roommate which is alright by him. The students around here are all just partying and being drunk anyway. Peter’s had his fair share of that and he knows that it doesn’t agree with him.

A lot of things didn’t agree with him back then, including being possessed by a parasitic alien from space, but that’s just in the details.

Peter’s barely installed on the couch when there’s a knock on his door. He frowns, looking up at the door as if he could look right through it and see who’s standing there. Trying to use his heightened hearing doesn’t help him either. He grunts in annoyance, putting down his bowl and chopsticks and gets up.

“Coming!” he shouts. With his bare feet he walks around. He unlocks the door, opening it up and almost expecting some lost students who just randomly saw that the lights were on. He’s wrong when instead he sees Johnny in front of him.

“Heya, Pete,” Johnny greets him with a wide grin the moment he sees him. Peter’s mouth falls open.

“Johnny? What are you- what are- what are you doing here?” Peter asks excitedly. Rarely do his friends from New York come here; it’s a rather long drive and he doesn’t want people taking the plane for him whenever it isn’t necessary. Planes aren’t good for the environment, after all.

“I was in the neighborhood, the Four had a thing around here. I decided to stick along for a moment, but the others went home.”

“Then how are you getting back?” Peter wonders out loud. Johnny shrugs.

“I can fly, remember? Can I come in?”

Peter nearly stumbles over his feet as he takes a step back. “Of course!” he almost shouts. He awkwardly bumps against the wall behind him, banging his head against it. He mutters out a small curse, reaching for the hurting spot. Johnny just chuckles.

“Careful where you’re walking, there,” he tells him in amusement. He shrugs off his coat. Peter’s pretty sure that coat is going to stay here since Johnny’s gonna fly back home. Peter will bring it back next time he goes to New York.

“So, uh, you want something to drink? Eat? Did you eat already? I got Chinese takeout if you want. Got enough for two.” Peter shuffles back into the room. The apartment he rents isn’t large at all, more like a little dorm. He’s got his own separate bathroom, so that’s at least something, but other than that it only exists out of one more room.

“Calm down, Peter,” Johnny chuckles. “I can eat. That’s cool.” He sits himself down on the couch, kicking off his shoes and making himself at home. Peter hurries to the kitchenette, grabbing an extra bowl and handing it to Johnny. The shop gave him an extra pair of chopsticks so that’s good, too.

“So,” Peter starts once he’s seated as well. They divide the food amongst the two of them until there’s nothing left in the packages. Johnny starts eating immediately as Peter waits a bit. “What’s news? Big mission?”

“Nah, didn’t even need the four of us if I’m honest, but it was an old childhood friend of Reed’s so yeah, special treatment and whatnot.” Johnny shrugs, speaking with his mouth half-full. Peter has since long given up expecting any class from his friend. Johnny will forever be a child at heart, and that’s just fine. “Some lab experiment went wrong or something. I barely did anything, anyway, other than having fun with my good friend Ben.” He sticks out his tongue and winks.

“You mean ‘annoy’ him,” Peter corrects him.

“Ah, semantics.” He puts his bowl down, walking up to the fridge and taking out a can of coke. He doesn’t comment on the lack of beer, knowing very well that Peter doesn’t drink any of that. “So… no nice girls around here?”

Peter frowns at him the moment he sits back down. “I thought you were dating?” he asks him disapprovingly. Not that he’s exactly the biggest fan of Melissa, though he’s still willing to give her another chance because first impressions aren’t always the best.

“Nah, man, for you! Not for me!” Johnny points his chopsticks at him after filling his mouth again. After swallowing, he continues again. “I mean if we’re ever going to double-date you can’t keep on bringing your ex along.”

Peter rolls his eyes. “Johnny,” he sighs.

“Peter,” Johnny returns with a full mouth. They stare at each other for a couple of seconds before Peter turns away at last, feeling something unsettling in his stomach. He knows Johnny just wants him to get back in the game, find somebody to be with. But Peter was never in the game to begin with. The idea of him dating around to meet ‘random’ people makes him feel extremely uncomfortable. After all, he needs to be friends with a person before he can really develop any romantic feelings.

Johnny’s the complete opposite of him. But he’s also almost never been in love, as far as Peter knows. He just doesn’t know, doesn’t understand him. And that’s okay, Peter doesn’t blame him for that.

“Is it because of your thing?” he eventually asks.

“What thing?” Peter knows what he means.

“You know, your demi-thing? I mean you never really told me about it and I only know as much as what I found in the research that I did.”

Peter smiles faintly. “You researched it?” he asks, pulling up his chopsticks but missing his mouth entirely and instead poking them in his cheek. “Ow.”

“Dork,” Johnny laughs, holding out a napkin towards him. “You look very charming like this. 100% would recommend to the ladies.”

“Shut up.” Peter pokes him with his sticks. Johnny yelps, nearly jumping out of his seat to avoid being hit. They laugh after that. Peter feels a bit lightheaded, his stomach aching from all that laughter. They sigh once they calm back down.

“What I meant to say was; I wanna know more about it if you’d like to tell me?” Johnny puts his bowl down once he’s finished eating. The chopsticks are dropped in it as well, left on the table as Johnny puts a leg underneath him and turns to Peter. “If I know what exactly you need, it could be easier to help you find somebody.”

Peter stops eating then. His bowl is nearly empty anyway. He puts it next to Johnny’s on the table. Then he clasps his hands together, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees.

“That’s the thing, Johnny. You can’t just _find_ somebody for me. I don’t just need a hook-up. I need something more to work with.”

Johnny nods. “Okay, what exactly is that?” he asks.

“Well, before I can really fall for somebody some sort of friendship needs to be built. I was friends with Gwen before we started dating. Same with MJ and with Felicia.” Though the whole Felicia-thing has been complicated from the beginning. It nearly makes Peter shiver again. “For me looks don’t matter. I don’t fall for somebody because I like the way they look. I need to know what’s inside before I really start feeling things.”

Johnny still looks like he’s listening intently. He looks genuinely interested.

“You talk about ‘them’, the gender doesn’t really matter to you, then?” Johnny wonders out loud, resting his head on his hand as he looks at him.

“Well, I’m pretty sure I’m straight,” Peter points out. Johnny smiles faintly and nods.

“Okay.” Then he breathes loudly through the nose and taps his finger against the couch, turning his head to the television. “Then I’ll stop playing matchmaker.”

“Thank you.” Peter leans back on the couch. He pulls his legs up and stretches them out over Johnny’s lap, throwing his arms behind his head as he relaxes. “You wanna put up a movie?”

“What’ya got in mind?”

Peter shrugs. “Just look through Netflix. We can chill.”

When Johnny gives him a look, Peter smirks teasingly, causing for Johnny to grab the pillow between them and throw it in Peter’s face. Peter, of course, catches it immediately and puts it behind his head.

“Ah, just what I needed.”

Johnny rolls his eyes, poking Peter in the legs. “Whatever. Just don’t expect us to make out, ‘kay?”

“Sure thing, hot stuff.”

And Peter figures that perhaps he’s taking this a bit too far. That he might start making Johnny uncomfortable, or perhaps hopeful and bring out old feelings that he could have repressed. He should probably dial it down.

But then Johnny breaks that train of thoughts as he opens op his mouth again. “Okay, dreamboat, what movie you got in mind?”

Peter smirks again.

* * *

##  February 13th, 2025

Tony starts acting a bit weird around three weeks after the party, and it’s getting really annoying.

Peter’s at the tower after another visit at May’s. They hung out the entire day, but now she had to get to work for the evening and since Peter hasn’t really hung out with his Dad for a while he figures it’s not too bad to head to the tower.

“Oh, I thought you were gonna be out with Johnny,” is the first thing Tony says with something Peter can’t decipher in his voice.

“No, why would I be out with Johnny?” Peter asks. He puts his bag down underneath the coat rack and hangs up his coat. Tony is in the couch, Steve next to him and the two watching a movie. Which one, Peter can’t tell.

“Oh, no reason,” Tony quickly gets out.

“There’s never ‘no reason’ with you. Did somebody tell you I was gonna hang with Johnny?” Peter jumps down on the couch, urging himself between the two of them. Steve chuckles as he scoots to the side but Tony refuses to move so Peter squeezes in with barely any place to move.

“No, nobody told me anything,” Tony mutters. He finally looks to the side to meet Peter’s eyes and gives him an awkward smile. “I just figured since you’re so close and all.”

Peter rolls his eyes. “We’re just as close as I am with Ned or Harry. Don’t worry, I’m not favoring him over my other friends.” Peter grabs the remote control, but right when he’s about the change the channels Steve yanks it out of his hands.

“Nu-uh, I’m watching that,” he warns him. Peter groans.

“But it’s a documentary about Wall Street!”

“A documentary I’d very much like to watch.”

“Don’t bother kiddo. He’s hell bent on watching that crap. I’m just tuning it out by watching a movie in my mind.” Tony winks at him. Peter groans.

“I can’t do that!” he complains. “I’m not a supercomputer like you!”

“No you aren’t!” Tony pats him on the head and then continues watching whatever he must be putting on in his head. Peter gets back on his feet, turning to them.

“Well, since you’re having separate-but-together movie-nights I’m gonna go out on patrol. Haven’t been swinging the streets as much as I’d like to.”

“Good. Don’t get hurt.” Tony holds up his thumb. Peter shakes his head again and waves at them as he starts stepping towards the balcony. Without much shame he drops his clothes on the ground, knowing that Steve always complains about it but feeling like annoying him a bit.

“Hey!” he can hear him call out, but by the time his voice reaches Peter’s ears he’s jumping off the tower and into the city.

* * *

##  February 28th, 2025

It’s a bit late in the month for snow, but it happens still. Peter’s really glad that the suit he’s wearing has an internal heating-system. As he swings around but finds a serious lack of crime – even criminals get cold, after all – he figures he could hang out for a bit, find some place to chill and just look at the city. He rarely gets the chance, after all.

Hitching a ride from a nearby ferry that does its usual tour – in this weather? That’s crazy! – Peter watches as Liberty Island starts getting closer. It’s been a usual hanging-spot during more quiet moments in the day. Occasionally Johnny joins him here but so far nobody else knows of his little hiding spot. A place where he can just be away from society.

As soon as the island is close enough for him to jump to, Peter swings up to the top of the statue where he climbs up her right hand until he’s standing at the torch. The snowing starts getting a bit stronger. Normally he just sits down on the head but given the snow the torch gives at least a little bit of shelter, though still not much.

Peter sits down, leaning against the statue while he takes a deep breath. He would take off the mask but he knows that it would be too cold for that. He’s rather snug here in the suit and he’s a bit reluctant to get out of it.

“Well, how ‘bout that, huh?”

Peter startles, looking up to find a flaming individual hovering next to the torch. Johnny looks like he’s not too cold, either. That fire looks really good to stand next to. Perhaps Peter could take off the mask for a bit like this.

“In case you don’t remember, you don’t own this spot on the statue despite it being a torch,” Peter jokes. Johnny comes down, smashing his hand against the metal wall behind Peter.

“This is not our spot,” Johnny points out. “Our spot is there at the head. This is my spot. Your spot can be at the book.”

“Why at the book? Besides, it’s not even a book; it’s a tabula ansata with the date of our-”

“Yeah that there, exactly is why you get the book; you’re a nerd.” Johnny flames out at last, sitting down next to Peter. “So what brings you here, nerd?”

“Just chilling.” Peter shrugs, not even bothering to save himself from yet another nickname. He simply leans back, looking out over the city but finding that it’s snowing a lot more now. He hopes he can still get off Liberty Island, because even with this snow Peter isn’t too sure Johnny can keep his flames on for long. “You?”

“Long day,” Johnny admits. “Could use some winding down. Didn’t want to bother Ned with my nerves so yeah… Here it was.”

“Long day? What happened?” Peter pulls up his leg and wraps an arm around it. He looks at Johnny, still feeling the urge to take off the mask – especially when he’s just among friends – but figuring it’s better against the cold to keep it on.

“It’s Mel.” The sound in Johnny’s voice sounds a bit strange. Like he’s… a little bit panicked, perhaps? “She called me her boyfriend.”

“Whoa, really? I thought you were only dating for an entire month or so,” Peter mutters sarcastically.

“No, see, that’s just it. We went on dates. We hung out, we had some fun, but… It’s going too fast, man! One moment we’re just messing around and the next she’s telling me she wants me to meet her friends.”

“A month, Johnny.”

“Maybe I’m just not the type of person who gets into committed relationships. Maybe I’m just destined to be single forever and just have hook-ups where-ever I can find them.”

The panic gets stronger and Peter immediately jumps up onto his knees and shuffles in front of him, holding him by the shoulders. “Dude,” he starts. “I’m pretty sure that you’re capable of going steady. You just need to find the person you want to settle down with. It’s alright if Mel’s not that person. Nobody’s forcing you.”

“But I am forcing me,” Johnny counters. “I might actually like this girl, Pete. I haven’t really _liked_ somebody since-” He stops almost immediately. A chill passes through Peter that has nothing to do with the snow. It’s all Johnny’s words.

“Since me,” he finishes the sentence. Johnny turns his head away with an actual blush on his cheeks. “Hey, man, it’s okay. You can’t always control those things. I mean, the way I started feeling for MJ came as a surprise to me, too, back then.”

“Yeah but… Man, I still can’t believe I actually kissed you and don’t even remember it. I’m so sorry.”

Oh, so they’re having this conversation nearly four years after it happened. They’ve been good at avoiding the subject but this is almost too crazy. Though Peter can see that Johnny’s actually distressed about it so he shouldn’t joke about it.

“Johnny,” Peter starts. He shakes his shoulder a bit after realizing that he’s still holding on to them. Johnny barely looks up with wide eyes. There are some snowflakes dropping onto his face and before Peter realizes it he wipes them away. If possible, Johnny’s eyes grow even larger. “If I’m entirely honest I don’t even remember that kiss, myself. You know, being possessed and all that. Just know that if it would have happened at any other time I wouldn’t have acted like such an ass about it.”

“You don’t know that,” Johnny whispers. “Believe me, I’ve been in the situation a few times where I read it all wrong and ended up with a punch in the face. Some guys just act gay but aren’t always _actually_ gay.”

Peter chuckles, lifting up his hand until it’s in Johnny’s hair. Then he messes it all up. “So you mean I acted gay, huh?” he jokes. Johnny laughs as well, a bit of his tension finally disappearing a bit. That’s good. Really good.

“You might have had some little eenie-tiny moments where I wondered,” he says, putting his fingers very close together to indicate just how much. Peter rolls his eyes and pushes his head slightly to the side before standing up and putting his hands on his hips as he looks back at the city.

“Looks like the snow isn’t slowing down. Wanna bunk down at the apartment and watch a movie?” he suggests. Johnny gets back on his feet as well.

“Might as well. Ned’s home so he’ll be glad to see you, too.” Johnny takes the first step into the snowy weather and holds out a hand to Peter. “Wanna lift?”

“You bet I do,” Peter responds. He takes Johnny’s hand and allows himself to be pulled up as Johnny partially flames up and gets into the sky. The flight is rather short, Peter finds. Once or twice he looks up only the squint his eyes shut from the light Johnny produces. By the time they’re at the building Johnny drops him on the roof before coming down himself.

“You got some spare clothes?” Peter asks as they open the door that leads to the stairwell and get down by foot. Once in front of the door Johnny fishes out a key from somewhere in his suit.

“Sure thing. Though do I have to remind you to keep some clothes here? Not that I mind you taking my clothes but just saying.” Johnny opens the door for him and Peter walks right in. The moment it’s closed again behind them he loosens the suit, jumping out of it and feeling the chills of being suddenly undressed. He shivers, wrapping his arms around himself.

“Brr, can’t you bring up the heat?” Peter asks. Johnny walks him by, heading to his bedroom to fetch some clothes for him. He notices Ned immediately as he’s behind his laptop at the kitchen table. He waves at Peter.

“Hey man, you’re kinda lucky because Betty literally left only five minutes ago.” Ned starts typing something, probably designing another program or something like that. He’s pretty handy with that sort of thing.

“Can you just imagine her face?” Peter chuckles. He gladly accepts Johnny’s clothes, putting them on without much reservation. He even puts on the large hoodie he’s given. Johnny’s a bit taller than Peter is and it shows in the clothes. Peter rolls up the sleeves and his pants before jumping into the couch.

Yet he’s still cold. His entire body is shivering. It’s possible he might have put the heater on his suit a bit too high and that the difference is too big.

“You want a cocoa?” Johnny asks. Peter holds up a thumb.

“Hell yeah!” he cheers. He grabs the remote control and brings up Netflix. “Ned, you up for a movie?”

“Sure. And I want a cocoa, too, man!” Ned unplugs his laptop and picks it up as he heads to the couch. He sits to the single couch on Peter’s left, putting his feet on the table in front of him and resting the laptop on his lap. Not too much later Johnny arrives with two steaming cups of cocoa. Peter takes it from him with an excited thanks. Ned’s a bit quitter, focused on the screen of his computer. He probably has a deadline.

Not too much later Johnny drops on the couch next to Peter, who is pleasantly drinking from his hot coco.

“So what are we watching?” Johnny asks with a smirk.

“You just put something on, I don’t mind,” Ned says.

“I dunno. This is always the hardest part of watching movies, isn’t it?” Peter holds his mug close to his face and takes up the heat. It still doesn’t feel like enough.

“Ooh, what’s that there?” Johnny points at the screen and Peter tries to search what he means. “Sense8? I heard some good things about it but I don’t know what it’s about.”

“Oh, yeah, MJ watched it. She said it was good but that it has some pretty graphic sex scenes so I kinda avoided it.” Peter presses his lips together awkwardly, almost feeling a bit ashamed by his supposed prudeness.

“We can watch something different, it’s fine,” Johnny assures him. “I’ll just put it on my list and watch it by myself, no problem.” He takes the remote control from him and does exactly what he said. Peter smiles gratefully, though he feels some guilt going through him.

“Hey, maybe you can just… put up the first episode, huh? I mean, if it gets too bad I’ll just look away.”

He can almost feel Ned look up from his screen, his dark eyes boring into Peter with surprise Peter ignores it. Instead he looks at Johnny, who, too, seems like Peter’s words came out of nowhere.

“You sure, man? We can also just watch some random comedy or something.” But Peter shakes his head.

“Just play it. If MJ likes it it has to be good. She rarely likes movies and shows these days.” He takes another sip from his cocoa and almost burns his lips because of it. Johnny notices it and hovers his hand above the mug to absorb some of the heat again.

“Here you go,” he tells him, simultaneously pressing ‘play’ and letting the show start. He then quickly gets on his feet to turn off the lights and gets back on the couch as the episode starts with a blonde woman on a mattress.

Still shivering a bit, Peter is all too aware of Johnny giving him worried glances. He tries to ignore it for a bit but when he figures that he won’t warm up just by the clothes he’s been given he shuffles a bit closer to the actual human furnace.

“Don’t say anything, hot stuff,” Peter mutters to him as he almost leans up against him. Johnny simply chuckles and throws an arm behind him over the back of the couch. Now Peter feels the heat slowly coming back and he figures Johnny’s actually heating himself up a bit more to help him warm up. He doesn’t mention it, not wanting to make it weird.

They make it through the first episode and Peter’s intrigued. He’s so into it that when the credits roll and Johnny starts getting up from the couch for a toilet break he’s almost startled. He quietly watches Johnny leave to the bathroom, finally warmed up enough to sit comfortably on the couch.

Turning to check on Ned he finds him staring at him studiously. He doesn’t even attempt to look away when he notices Peter looking back. Peter frowns in return, putting down his empty cup of cocoa.

“What’s wrong, Ned?” he asks. As soon as the words are spoken Ned breaks out of his sort of trance. He shakes his head and attempts to get back to his work.

“Nothing, man,” he quickly lies. Peter gives him a dry stare and throws a pillow his way.

“No, dude, what’s wrong?” he wonders. Is there something on his face? Does he have problem with his girlfriend and he’s just trying to find a way to tell him? What’s going on?

“I mean, it’s probably nothing but… I don’t know…” Ned sighs and closes the laptop. “Don’t give him false hope, is all.”

“False hope?” Peter repeats out loud. He sits up now, crossing his legs while he waits for an explanation from his friend. Ned shrugs again.

“Yeah, man,” he starts. “You know, all those lingering finger-touches when he hands you something. Cuddling up on the couch. You constantly wearing his clothes. It took him a while to get over you and you know that. And now he’s got something good with Mel and-“

“ _Mel_?” That was louder than it was meant to be. Peter’s hand goes up to his mouth from his own surprise. He just didn’t expect Ned had started calling her that, too. There’s something uncomfortable in the pits of his stomach, something scratching underneath his chest at the thought that Ned might be friends with Johnny’s girlfriend. Which is stupid since he’d been friends with Peter’s girlfriends, too.

“Peter, is there something wrong?”

He barely registers Ned’s voice. Instead he simply gets on his feet, looking down at the clothes that he’s wearing and feeling like he needs to get out of them again. Put on his suit, go back home. He doesn’t need this shit, doesn’t need Ned’s accusations.

“What’s going on?” Johnny asks in confusion upon seeing Peter standing in front of the couch. Peter turns to look at Johnny. The guy is only wearing a dark blue shirt and some jeans. His hair is messy, his face looking tired like he’s ready to go to bed. Peter shouldn’t keep him awake much longer.

“I should be heading home,” he says.

“What? We’ve only seen one episode!” Johnny holds up his hands in a gesture.

“I know. I’m just tired and you seem tired, too, and Ned still has a lot of work to finish off and-“ he doesn’t know how to continue. He just needs to be out of here. _Don’t give him false hope_ , Ned had said. It’s what Peter said to himself for a couple years, now. How long can it be for somebody to be over a crush?

Peter starts pulling off the hoodie Johnny’s given him. He throws it onto the couch before starting on the t-shirt, too.

“Dude, you know you’re free to bunk here if you’re tired. It wouldn’t be the first time.” Johnny almost looks worried. Peter feels horrible for giving him that look on his face. But he can, in his good conscience, not bunk over at this place knowing that it would mean sharing a bed with Johnny. Being closer to him. _Giving him false hope_.

“No I should really go home.” Peter takes off the sweatpants and puts them on the couch as well before picking up the suit on the ground and putting it on with practiced ease. Once he’s completely dressed he heads to the window where it’s still snowing outside. He really doesn’t look forward to swing through that, but at least the tower isn’t too far away. Just bite through it.

He almost jumps out of his skin when Johnny takes him by the wrist to stop him from moving forward. Peter turns to him with wide eyes, his mask not yet on.

“C’mon Pete, did I do something wrong?” Johnny actually sounds scared. Peter looks down at the fingers wrapped around his arm, realizing that he remembers what they feel like against his as he must have unknowingly brushed over them taking over the mug or the clothes. They had felt soft – well taken care off hands. Very Johnny.

And Peter looks up at his eyes. His bright blue eyes with that fire inside of them. His hair is hanging half in front of his face and for some reason his first instinct is to brush it aside. But he doesn’t. _Don’t give him false hope_.

“Bye, Johnny,” he says shortly. He pulls himself out of Johnny’s hold and opens the window in such a speed that Johnny can’t even say anything in return. He’s in the streets in just a matter of seconds.

* * *

##  March 22nd, 2025

It’s been a busy few weeks at MIT. School projects and group projects and… more projects. It just keeps on coming and for a while Peter barely finds the time to head back home.

Once May and Tony flew over to spend the weekend at his place. That had been nice as Tony showed him all the secret hide-outs of the school. They had eaten pizza and the two traitors had actually held an entire conversation in Italian to rub it in Peter’s face that he needs to learn the language.

Peter’s had some messages from his friends, asking how he’s doing. He just tells them that he’s fine, cramped up with work. At one point Wade even started a video chat all the way from New Asgard and he got to catch up with Yaël, Thor and Jane for a bit. Loki might have appeared once in the corner of the screen but he quickly escaped having to hold an actual conversation.

Shuri is back in town, Peter hears through the grapevine. It being a Saturday he’s finally back in New York after weeks of being away. The first place he goes is the tower where he meets up with Nat and Bucky for a while, seeing how Teddy is doing at the moment. The kid is growing bigger by the months, it seems. He’s playful and full of spirit, it’s really great to see.

The surprise comes when he gets back to the penthouse. Entering through the door he finds that there are a lot more people present than he would have expected.

“Surprise!” they shout. Peter almost jumps on the ceiling.

“It’s not my birthday?” is the first thing he asks before he can really look at who’s all there. There’s MJ and Shuri, Ned, Johnny, Harry and Wanda. For a short moment he almost expected Felicia to come showing up, too, but she’s simply disappeared from the world ever since Peter broke up with her.

“Of course it’s not your birthday. It’s just that you’ve been gone forever,” Harry jokes. He walks up to him and gives him a strong hug. Peter hugs him back with a chuckle.

“It’s been a month or so,” Peter counters, unimpressed yet still touched that all these people have come here to celebrate his return.

“A month without Peter! That’s awful!” Johnny jokes. He’s the next one to come and claim a hug, and he’s quickly followed by all the others. Ned greets him with the usual handshake. Shuri punches him in the arm.

Before quickly they’re all seated on the ground – because it’s way cozier like that – with snacks and drinks in the middle. It felt like such a long time since they’ve been able to just hang out. Harry owning a company and all the others working, nobody ever seems to find a moment to get together.

“Dude, isn’t this the moment in the movie we would play stupid teenage party games like spin the bottle?” Harry points out with a grin. The others groan.

“We’re not playing spin the bottle,” MJ quickly saves the conversation.

“Oh, come on! I never got to play stupid teenage games like that!” Shuri complains. “You neither, Wanda, right?”

Wanda laughs. “I don’t necessarily need to, though,” she tries.

“No! I want to play stupid teenage games like lie and die or whatever else there is!”

“You mean truth or dare?” Johnny chuckles while serving himself another coke. Then he holds out the bottle and Peter holds out his own cup for him to fill it.

“Yes! Truth or dare! Sounds a lot less violent.” Shuri smirks widely, giving MJ a pleading look while taking her hand. “I never got to be a normal teenager, honey.”

MJ rolls her eyes before shoving her a bit. Shuri laughs it out loud. “Fine,” she admits. “If everybody’s alright with it we can play stupid teenage party games.”

“I don’t seem much harm, as long as all that happens here stays here,” Harry agrees. “Don’t need my girlfriend to think I’m cheating on her with the lot of you.”

“Same here!” Ned points out. Johnny’s staying quiet. He finishes filling other people’s cups and then drops the bottle in the middle of the circle they’ve formed.

“Alright, here’s our weapon,” he says. He puts his hands on his knees and looks over the room. “Who’s gonna start?”

“I’m gonna start!” Shuri calls out.

“Whoa, how about maybe some rules, first, okay?” MJ suggests. “I don’t want all of you to just constantly kiss my girlfriend here. Since we’re not some horny teenagers and nobody’s really secretly hoping to get in a lip-lock with any particular person in this room I suggest we do kisses on the cheek, and the fifth time hitting the same person it’s a kiss on the lips. Deal?”

Peter groans inwardly. He doesn’t want to kiss anybody. Though the idea of kissing cheeks does sound a lot better than lips. “Fine by me,” he agrees. Looking to the side where Harry’s sitting the guy seems to agree just as much.

“Alright!” Shuri pats MJ on the shoulder twice before leaning forward and grabbing the bottle. There she spins it, looking excitedly as she waits for it to stop to who-ever. When it does it points at Ned, who starts laughing. “Come here, you!”

The two lean towards the middle of the circle and Shuri presses a gentle but short kiss on Ned’s cheek. Once they’re both back on their place MJ throws an arm around Shuri and leans up against her.

“That’s my girl,” she says proudly. Peter rolls his eyes but waits as Ned spins the bottle, too. After that Ned gets Wanda, who then in turn gets Harry. Then it’s Johnny, back to Shuri, who gets to Peter, who gets MJ. It goes on and on, surprisingly nobody getting to the fifth time. Eventually it gets a bit boring, Peter has to admit. But Shuri seems to have a wonderful time.

“Another game! What else is there?” Shuri calls out excitedly once the bottle is back to her. She grabs it and bounces it off her leg, looking ever the bit the hyperactive genius that she is.

“Uh, we could do ‘never have I ever’?” Harry suggests. Everybody seems glad for the kissing to be over.

“What is it?”

As MJ starts explaining the rules of the game to her Johnny starts filling everybody’s cups again. Once all their cups are equally full everybody puts their down to stop themselves from unintentionally drinking from it.

“Alright, Shuri you get to go first since you’re the youngest here,” Harry offers. Peter leans a bit to the side, knowing that his shoulder is touching Harry’s but neither seems to care. They’re good enough friends for it to not be weird, after all.

“Here are some good examples for questions,” MJ offers with her phone. Shuri takes it quickly and reads through them.

“So the point is to say something that I haven’t done but others might have? And the goal is to keep your glass full the longest?” she asks.

“Pretty much,” says Johnny.

“Alright.” She scrolls further until she gets to something. “Oh! Oh! Never have I ever been unfaithful!”

MJ blinks, startled at the statement she chose. Peter can’t help but meet her eyes, feeling a blush come up on his face as he awkwardly lifts up his cup and drinks from it. Being the only one doing so, some people give him a confused look until they understand what situation he’s talking about.

“In my defense, I was kinda possessed at the time,” he reminds them. He didn’t have any control over it! At all!

“We don’t judge here,” Wanda promises, though looking amused despite it. Being the one sitting next to Shuri she takes the phone from her and looks through the different questions. “Never have I ever… done pictures in my underwear.”

Johnny and Harry drink, surprising absolutely nobody. The two smirk at each other, clearly glad that they’re not completely alone in this.

After Wanda it’s Ned who searches for a little bit. “Never have I ever had a one-night-stand,” he then says, grinning widely at Johnny who rolls his eyes and drinks again. Both Harry and Peter, much to his shame, do too.

“You, too, Peter?!” Shuri asks loudly, clearly shocked.

“I don’t talk about that. Ever.” He points out his finger to accentuate just how ‘never’ he ever speaks about it. MJ and Ned chuckle.

“No, seriously? I wanna know about it? I thought you couldn’t do that stuff?” Johnny leans his head on his hand, clearly willing to listen to this story. Harry, too, leans closer. Wanda puts a hand against her mouth as she holds back her laughter.

“No, man, I was drunk. My meds kept making me horny. I got to live with the consequences after that.”

Shuri gasps. “You didn’t get her pregnant, did you?!” she almost shouts, grabbing MJ by the arm and nearly shaking her.

“What?! No! No, no way! I didn’t get anybody pregnant! I meant with the crippling depression and all.” Peter didn’t mean for it to come out so bluntly, but does ever so. The humor seems to leave everyone as they’re all reminded of this disease Peter’s living with. The one he has to fight every day to overcome his own shortcomings created by his own head.

Silently Ned hands the phone to Johnny who clears his throat and gets back into the game. “Never have I ever had surgery.”

Harry, Peter, Ned and MJ drink. For Harry it’s been some cosmetic surgeries to get rid of some of his scars. Peter’s are obvious with the ripped spleen he got thanks to the Goblin. Ned had an appendicitis while MJ apparently stuck a small toy in her ear when she was very little and they had to put her to sleep to get it back out.

“That’s a pretty innocent question from you,” MJ points out. Johnny shrugs, holding up his glass.

“I think I’ve drunk each round so far. I need to spare a bit, don’t you think?” he laughs. “Here you go, Osborn. Your turn!”

“Thanks, friend!” Harry barely even looks before grinning. “Never have I ever kissed a celebrity.”

MJ glares at him before drinking. Johnny groans and does so, too. Peter hesitates for a moment, wondering if it counts at all. After all, _he_ didn’t really kiss Johnny, Johnny kissed _him_ , right? It doesn’t exactly count, right?

But as far as Peter can remembers, him-possessed-be-Venom kinda kissed him back. So it probably does count. Peter slowly drinks, yet nobody seems surprised.

“Okay, so MJ kissed Harry and Shuri, who are both kinda celebrities. Johnny had that thing with that model that barely lasted-“

“She was a nightmare to be with!” Johnny defends himself.

“And Peter’s got the Black Cat. But from what I can remember _you_ kissed your fair shares of celebrities, too.”

Oh, right, the Black Cat. Peter had absolutely forgotten about that. He hadn’t figured that she would classify as a celebrity but thinking of it, it might make sense. He keeps quiet. So far, he’s not even sure who here knows about that kiss other than Harry.

“I, uh-“ Harry starts, realizing that Ned might be right after all. He frowns, putting his finger against his chin as he starts thinking. “Holy crap, you’re actually right… but… they were French models. I meant American celebrities!”

“Nuh-uh! Drink up, smart-ass!” Ned picks up the cup and pushes it into Harry’s face who drinks in defeat. When he looks at Peter for pity, Peter simply gives him a smug look.

“You brought this on yourself,” he tells him. Then he goes further through the list, squinting down at the screen before clearing his throat. “Okay, uhm, never have I ever waken up next to a complete stranger.”

Once again there’s a glare from Johnny and Harry, the latter having barely put down his cup before lifting it back up.

“Hey, getting dangerously low there,” Wanda warns them. Johnny holds up his middle finger, making everybody laugh it out.

“You’re all just against us,” Harry complains. Looking down at his cup he pouts, realizing he’s nearly out of the game.

“Alright, my turn.” MJ takes her phone as she finally gets to pick. She reads slowly, a focus visible in her face. “Never have I ever had a crush on my best friend.” Her eyes go back up, meeting Peter’s pointedly for some reason. Peter frowns, almost asking why she would single him out on this one. He’s not too surprised when both Harry and Johnny drink up again, their cup nearing empty. Harry is a bit more relaxed about it but Johnny has a red blush on his face. It’s clearly still a sensitive subject for him.

“Wait, Harry, you too?” Ned asks in confusion. Harry chuckles and throws his arm around Peter’s shoulder.

“This guy is very charming when he doesn’t want to be,” he jokes. Peter groans. He definitely wants to hide away, especially when most of the others start laughing. Except for MJ. And Johnny. The latter isn’t even looking his way.

“How long was that ago, then?”

“Oh, long ago. Before he became Spider-Man, even. And maybe a bit after, too. Let’s say I was a bit jealous when I found out he had a girlfriend.” Harry goes through Peter’s hair to mess it up again before letting go of him. Then he looks at his cup and pouts. “Looks like I’m one question away from being out.” 

“Let’s make it count!” Shuri grins. “Never have I ever said ‘I love you’ just to get laid.”

Nobody drinks. Shuri’s mouth falls open, especially when MJ stops her glaring towards Peter and starts laughing. She leans back against her and takes Shuri’s cup.

“That means you get to drink up for taking a stupid question!”

“What?! Since when is that a rule?” Shuri sounds affronted, though still taking the cup over from her girlfriend.

“It has always been. I just forgot to tell you, is all.” Shuri rolls her eyes and drinks up, handing the phone back to Wanda whose cup is probably the fullest among them. Then she grins teasingly towards the two impending losers of the game, probably about to deliver the final blow.

“Alright, you’re ready gentlemen?” She crosses her legs and throws her hair back. “Never have I ever kissed with somebody of the same gender.”

Oh. _Oh_. She’s playing it dirty! She changed her wording accordingly that it can be seen as a person kissing somebody _or_ being kissed by somebody. Very clever. Peter’s almost prepared to yell that she’s cheating but at the same time she isn’t. It’s just good phrasing. Begrudgingly Peter picks up his cup and drinks again. Johnny and Harry both put down their empty cups. MJ and Shuri smile happily at each other as they drink simultaneously, though they nearly choke when they see Peter drink as well.

“YOU WHAT?!” they both shout. Shit, they’re so in sync it’s almost scary.

“Well, uh,” Peter starts, scratching his hair. “Somebody kissed me and I might have shortly kissed him back for a bit. But it was only once!”

“Who? Was it somebody we know?” Their eyes widen and Shuri points at Harry. “It was _you_ , wasn’t it?!”

“What?! No!”

“But who-“

“It was me,” Johnny then shrugs. Only Wanda, Peter and Harry don’t give him a surprised look. They already knew, after all. Wanda just knows everything, and Peter told Harry after it happened. Though he’s surprised that Ned never really knew.

“You?” MJ blinks in confusion before looking back at Peter, moving back and forth. “When was that?”

“During the whole Venom business. I was kinda drunk, otherwise I wouldn’t have kissed him, obviously.” Johnny tries to shrug it off like it’s not a big deal, but Peter knows it is. It had been a very big deal back then, and clearly it still is now. Now he wishes he had just lied about it.

“So you kissed my then-boyfriend?” Now MJ sounds amused despite her initial shock. Johnny’s cheeks redden again.

“I mean, yes? But like I said I was drunk and… Yeah…”

MJ rolls back from laughter, her hands holding her stomach and her feet going in the air. Shuri almost reaches for her in worry. Meanwhile, Harry gets on his feet with his empty cup and sighs.

“Looks like I’m out,” he says, turning to look at Johnny. “You, too. Let’s get another drink.” He motions for Johnny to follow him back to the kitchenette, probably his attempt to save him from the situation. Peter’s grateful for that. Harry’s looking out for Johnny. That’s really kind of him.

He pretends not to notice as the two shy away from the group. Pretends not to notice Johnny lowering his head, and Harry putting a hand on his shoulder. Probably telling him to ‘hang in there’. Peter sighs for a moment, feeling worry for his best friend. He hopes that Johnny’s alright. That this isn’t bringing back too many buried feelings. After all, he’s got some good things going with that Mel, right?

Eventually MJ sits back up, drying away some tears of laughter and turning to Shuri to whisper something in her ear. Shuri nods, humming in agreement a couple of times. Then her eyes widen and meet Peter’s. Realizing they’re talking about him, probably, Peter rolls his eyes and gets on his feet as well.

“I’m done with this game,” he says. And it’s true. He’s been done with it for a while now. Ned looks extremely happy that he doesn’t have to keep himself from drinking and downs his coke in one go, probably thirsty. Wanda leans back, relaxed as well. She starts a short conversation with Ned for a moment, the two of them discussing their own partners, Ned’s career and Wanda’s wish for children despite knowing Vision can’t reproduce.

“Hey, uh, I’m gonna put on something easier in my room, ‘kay?” Peter informs while nodding behind him. He doesn’t wait for anybody to answer and simply heads out. Once alone for a bit he sighs in relief and annoyance at the same time. He knows that this is exactly the whole thing about these types of games – for everybody to find out each other’s deepest secrets. He’s really glad they haven’t started with truth or dare or he might have jumped out of the window without his suit on.

When he hears his door open he’s close to shouting for them to get out. Seeing MJ entering, he gets even closer to it. But instead he wisely keeps his mouth shut. Especially when he sees there’s no amusement left in her eyes. She looks like she wants to have a serious conversation with him.

“Here to laugh at me some more?” Peter asks bitterly despite it. MJ at least looks a bit apologetic at that. She closes the door behind her and leans up against it.

“I’m not here to laugh at you,” she tells him. Then finally she moves forward to sit down on the bed and gesturing for Peter to do the same. He refuses for a couple of seconds before succumbing anyway. With another eyeroll he sits cross-legged on the mattress, facing MJ who keeps her eyes firmly on his.

“What’s wrong?” Peter asks. MJ bites her lip shortly before reaching out a hand to move some strands of hairs away of his face. Peter almost flinches back but manages to stay still.

“There’s been something I noticed a little bit back,” she starts. “I didn’t want to bring it up because I figured you would realize it yourself. But now I suspect you don’t, and that there must be so much going on in your mind.”

“What do you know about what’s going on in my mind? Nobody knows! Everybody’s just assuming that I’m that silly little Peter who is happy about everything. But I can assure you I hate it just as much as everybody else when people talk about me behind my back.”

“I know, I’m sorry.” MJ leans back and sighs. “I could have dealt with the situation a bit better. So that’s what I’m trying to do now. I don’t want to upset you, Peter.”

Peter stays quiet. He keeps his eyes to his hands, nervously fumbling his fingers around. They’re gonna have a talk, aren’t they? A serious talk? While there’s a ‘party’ going on in the living room next to them?

“You know, before I started dating Shuri I… I always thought I was straight. As straight as they could be. I never really had any interest in the female sex and that was fine by me. But then she came and she blew me away.”

“But you met her when we were still together?” Peter asks. MJ shrugs.

“It’s not like it was an immediate thing. You know we were friends first back in Wakanda before everything. Besides, I would never have cheated on you with anybody, I promise that.”

Peter looks down again. “Right. Noted.”

“Oh, no, I don’t mean it like that. I know it was out of your control, Pete.” MJ takes him by the chin and makes him look up again. “Stop thinking I still blame you for that. I don’t. It was all just bad luck. Probably a message that it wasn’t meant to be.”

Peter sighs but doesn’t speak. He wonders what the whole point she wants to make exactly is.

“Anyway, realizing I might not have been as straight as I thought was a real worrying thought. I had feelings I never expected. I had doubts, I was afraid. But Shuri’s sister-in-law approached me and spoke to me, calmed me down a bit. She told me about being bisexual and that it’s normal.”

“Nakia’s bisexual?” Peter asks with a frown. MJ nods.

“Yes, she’s been with women before,” she agrees. “T’Challa knows this, don’t worry.”

“Oh, okay. So… you identify yourself as bisexual as well?”

“I could?” MJ shrugs. “I haven’t exactly fallen for any other women around. It’s just Shuri. It could be a one-time thing. It could happen again. I have no idea. I just know it took me by surprise.”

Peter takes the moment of silence to form up his words, clearing his throat while biting his lip as he ponders them over.

“I’m glad you’re telling me all this, but is there a point you’re trying to make?” he asks. MJ sighs.

“My point is that it can take you by surprise. And sometimes you don’t realize it right away and it suddenly slams you in the face.”

“But what slams me in the face?”

“The fact that you’re in love with your best friend.”

And there it is. She finally made her point. And Peter immediately wishes she hadn’t. That he had kept her mouth shut.

“I- I’m not- you’re- what?”

MJ leans forward again, taking his fumbling hands into her own and keeping them still.

“I thought I saw it back at that gala where you broke that glass when you saw Johnny with that girl. Be honest with me, do you like Melissa?”

Peter makes a face, the idea of that girl immediately sitting wrong with him.

“Why don’t you?”

Peter opens his mouth to start, but words fall short. To be fair, he has no idea why he dislikes Melissa so much. She’s done absolutely nothing wrong, other than asking a lot of questions that time. Peter’s barely even seen her except that time.

“You see my point? You’re jealous of her, because she has somebody you want.”

“But I don’t want him. I- I don’t- I don’t like boys!”

“You might not like boys. But you like Johnny. Much like I don’t like girls, but I like Shuri.” MJ puts a hand on his cheek and holds him tenderly. “I know it’s scary. It’s a lot and you probably hadn’t even realized your feelings on your own. But Peter… I think his feelings for you might still be there.”

“He told me they weren’t,” Peter counters.

“Of course he would tell you that. What would you do if I told you I still had feelings for you?”

He’d probably avoid her for a bit to spare her. To keep things from being uncomfortable. He sees her point there.

“But he’s with Melissa.” He tries. He really tries to prove MJ wrong, that Johnny isn’t still in love with him just like he’s been assuring him, himself.

_“I might actually like this girl, Pete. I haven’t really liked somebody since-”_

_“Since me”_

Peter shivers. MJ’s wrong about Peter liking Johnny. He’s sure of that. And he really hopes that she is, too, about Johnny. Because Ned had warned him to be careful. Besides, Johnny likes Mel. He doesn’t like Peter. No way.

“Come, let’s just go back, okay? We can just hang out for a bit, maybe watch a movie.” She takes his hand and pulls him off the bed. Peter follows wordlessly, too deep in thought to respond. MJ wraps an arm around his shoulder and holds him close. The others even look up in worry when they return.

“I thought you were gonna change clothes?” Ned asks in confusion. Peter startles, looking down and realizing his mouth falls open.

“Oh,” he starts. MJ lets go of him but pats his shoulder twice before that.

“It’s my fault, I distracted him for a bit with the power of conversation,” she jokes. Then she turns back to Peter and gives him a pointed look. Peter doesn’t know what she means so he does nothing. Eventually MJ steps away, re-joining her girlfriend on the couch.

“So we’re done with the games?” Peter eventually asks. He looks at the couch, realizing that there’s only a spot free next to Johnny. But that’s no problem, because Johnny isn’t in love with him. And Peter surely isn’t, either. They’re just good friends. Very good friends. So just to prove that everything is alright he sits down next to him, kicking off his shoes and pulling his legs up.

“Yeah, we figured we were acting too much like the teenagers we said we wouldn’t act like,” Harry agrees. “We thought about a movie, what do you say?”

“Only if it’s a good horror,” Peter grins. He grabs the pillow and holds it close. They search for a bit until they get the newest addition on Netflix. Putting it on, Wanda quickly gets three bowls of pop corn and hands them over to spread them out. Peter and Johnny have one between them. It creates more space between them. That’s alright. He doesn’t mind.

The movie starts off alright. Peter can’t take his eyes off the screen as he constantly grabs for the bowl. The story is intriguing. The scary parts aren’t forced and very well built. Ned and MJ occasionally let out a small shriek when it gets too bad, and Shuri might have let out a small scream as well. Peter’s pretty sure Wanda looks away the moment the music gets eerie.

Peter isn’t too surprised when Harry falls asleep next to Johnny – he’s always been bad at watching movies. Johnny, on the other hand, loves watching them.

Peter startles when, reaching for more pop corn his hand meets Johnny’s. The two pull back almost instantly, muttering small apologies. And for a moment, Peter’s eyes are no longer stuck on the screen but on the bowl. Where he can watch Johnny’s hand taking his share and bringing the food to his mouth.

He bites his lip, pulling his hand away when a scene gets a bit too intense. Peter lets out a deep breath, unable to remove his eyes from Johnny’s hands. He remembers touching them; just now, but also back last month when it had snowed that much. How his hands had been surprisingly soft, like he took care of them very well.

It hadn’t felt much different now. Peter gasps inaudibly when he realizes he wants to touch them again. Wants to probably hold them. They would surely fit very nicely in Peter’s. Their fingers tangled together, just holding on to each other.

Next time Johnny’s hand goes down to take some popcorn, Peter unknowingly reaches out for some more as well. And Johnny startles the moment Peter hooks his fingers through his (accidentally?). He startles so much that he pulls his hand away and yanks Peter out of his trance. The bowl of popcorn drops down on the ground, Peter frowning at his own hand as it started to live an adventure of his own.

Johnny jumps up on his feet, clearing his throat and surprising everybody.

“Johnny?” Ned asks. Harry wakes up a bit, as well.

“I- I should… I should go. I need to go.” Johnny doesn’t say anything else. He walks away from the couch in such a quick speed, grabbing his coat and heading to the door without another word. Peter jumps out of the couch, hurrying after him.

“Johnny!” he calls out. Johnny ignores him as he starts heading for the elevator, pressing the button nervously. There, Peter can corner him. Good. “Johnny, please!”

“Pete…” Johnny sighs. He rubs his forehead and keeps his gaze lowered.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean for that to happen, I was just grabbing for some corn and-“

“I know, Pete. I just… I need to get home. I don’t- I don’t feel so good and I need to be alone.” He sighs in relief when the elevator arrives. “I’ll- I’ll see you later, okay?”

Peter nods, but he knows it’s just a dismissal. Johnny has obviously no clear intention of seeing Peter soon. And something tugs at his chest. Something ugly. It pulls at his heart, makes him want to stop Johnny in his tracks and keep him close. Not let him go.

But instead Peter takes a step back and lets the door close. The last thing he sees is Johnny’s eyes before they’re shielded from his view. And he lets out a shuddering breath, his hand going to his chest.

* * *

##  April 19th, 2025

Like always his Dad notices things are wrong way before Peter does.

Peter’s at the tower again. This time there’s no surprise party. There’s just him, Steve, Tony, Ned and Johnny, Aunt Sharon with, much to Peter’s surprise, Sam Wilson as her date. He must have been out of the loop for a while, because according to Tony the two have been dating for a couple of months now.

Well, that’s a surprise, isn’t it?

The conversation at the table goes for a little while. They talk about Sam taking over Steve’s shield. Talk about how Steve’s retirement is going now, how it’s like for Tony not to put on the suit anymore. It’s small talk, but their talking never stops. Peter simply listens, only answering when a question is asked. Tony asks how Ned’s position at Stark Industries is going and if he’s liking his job (he does), and Steve asks if Johnny’s been on the field a lot lately (they haven’t because nothing has been happening in the past few weeks).

By the time the clock strikes eleven Sharon and Sam announce that they’ll be heading out. Ned and Johnny decide to leave as well, so Steve walks them out while Tony lingers a bit at the table. Peter doesn’t think too much about it, instead poking his fork in the remains of his pie. He hadn’t been too hungry so he ate only half of it and destroyed the rest with his cutlery.

“Okay,” Tony suddenly starts, his voice almost echoing in the silence that had been going in the dining area. Peter startles, looking up at his Dad sitting there. “Spill. What’s on your mind?”

Peter frowns. “There’s nothing on my mind.” He shrugs because it’s the truth.

“There definitely is something on your mind. I can see it on you.”

Peter squints at him. He leans his elbows on the table, resting his head on the top of his wrists as he comes closer to Tony.

“Pray do tell me, what’s on my mind, then?”

Tony doesn’t say anything, though. He simply looks at Peter, waiting for him to spill the beans. Which he refuses to do, because there’s nothing wrong. So he’s been a bit gloomy lately, that can happen! His therapist has decided to build down the meds so it’s entirely possible that life isn’t all that sunshine and rainbows all the time anymore – not that it ever was, even.

“Peter, you do know that if there’s anything bothering you, or if you’ve got any questions you can always come to me, right? Or Steve. If it’s too awkward to approach me I’m sure Steve will help you out, too.”

“Why would it be awkward to approach you?” Peter leans back on his seat. He lifts his legs onto the chair Ned had been sitting in and stretches out, toying with his fork again. “Also, what kind of questions would I be asking you?”

“Peter…” Tony sighs stands up and taking his plate with him. When he heads to the kitchenette he passes Peter so he puts a hand on his shoulder for a few seconds, lingering in place before leaning forward and kissing him on the top of his head. “Take your time.”

“Take my time? Take my time for what?” Peter turns when his Dad passes him by without further explanation. Peter groans, standing up as well. “Seriously, I’m tired of everybody thinking they know everything better than me! I know what I feel and who I feel it for! People should not shove their impressions on to me because they might _think_ things are so.”

Tony still doesn’t speak. He returns to the table to take the other plates.

“I mean, why on Earth would MJ even give me that whole speech, huh? She basically ruined the entire evening, making things super awkward because, what, she might have maybe thought that perhaps I’m in love with my best friend? Bullshit!”

More silence, but by now Peter’s expecting it. He helps cleaning the table despite his rant.

“I mean can you just imagine it? Me being in love with Johnny? It’s ridiculous! I mean it! Okay, sure, maybe four years ago he might have liked me and probably kissed me but I made it clear that I’m not into guys and he accepted it! We’ve worked past this!”

Tony opens up the dishwasher and Peter loads it up.

“But then she just goes and assumes things, telling me that I like Johnny! I mean, how could I just sit on the couch normally like nothing was wrong, huh? I mean, his hand was just there and I wasn’t looking! And we both kinda panicked and shit, dad!”

Tony is now leaning against the counter with his arms crossed and an eyebrow raised. His glasses reflect the light above them.

“What happened with his hand?” Tony asks.

“I might have accidentally held it,” Peter admits. Tony nods, though not looking away.

“And did you want to take his hand?”

“What?! Of course not! Why would I want to take his hand? He’s my friend! I mean, sure I would hold my friend’s hand if needed but it wasn’t needed and it was just because of the popcorn.”

“Was it, though?”

Peter stops his rant for a second, the three words his father spoken pulling him out of it. He blinks in confusion.

“What?” he asks. Tony then sighs, gesturing for Peter to come closer.

“Listen, son. I know you. I’ve seen you around MJ, I’ve seen you around Felicia. I know how you get when you are around people you might actually like romantically.”

“Right? So you obviously saw that it’s not at all the same, right?” Peter tries.

“I saw the exact same thing around Johnny,” he continues. And I didn’t want to point it out until you figured it out yourself. But I’ve seen how you’ve been beating yourself up about something. There’s this denial that brings you down, and it’s not worth it. You are capable of so much, you can feel so much more free if you could just admit to yourself-“

“What, that I’m gay?” Peter almost shouts. “I’m not! Okay? I’m not any different around Johnny than around Ned! There’s nothing different at all!”

“Except there is.” Tony lets a screen emerge next to them, clearing his throat. “You want to see what I saw? Because I can show you.”

He doesn’t wait for Peter’s answer. He just puts up the footage of the past two hours. It’s all taken from Tony’s point of view, so the person in front of him is Peter. And it’s weird to see himself sitting there. Talking but not speaking since Tony muted the footage.

He’d been listening to a story Johnny had said. He remembers it being about some past mission with the Four, about something stupid Ben had said and how Reed almost screwed up his marriage because of bad wording.

It had been a fun story. Peter had been listening intently. But now he can see that he’d been staring just as much, as well. He’d been leaning his head on his hand, his eyes never leaving Johnny’s and constantly smiling whenever he looked back at him.

But that’ not all. There’s the lingering touched Ned mentioned a while back, whenever Johnny passes him something and Peter takes it over. The graze of hands, the hand on the shoulder…

All things he’s clearly not doing with Ned. At least not as much.

“Pete, honey, I need you to breathe slowly in and out, okay?”

Peter looks away from the screen, meeting his father’s brown eyes, feeling like he’s about to break apart. His chest is aching, his hands clampy. He thinks he’s sweating.

Oh, he’s starting to have a panic attack. That’s why his Dad wants him to calm down. Obediently he listens to his father’s instructions, taking deep breaths in and out. He leans forward, putting his hands on his legs and closing his eyes.

He can’t believe it! He feels so betrayed by his past self! How could he do that? How could he even hide it away from himself like that? How is this possible? Is that how everybody else sees them around each other? Why has nobody mentioned it earlier?

Except, Ned did. And then MJ. And now Tony. Because they must have realized that Peter doesn’t even know it, himself.

“That’s a good son,” Tony assures him, pulling him into his arms and kissing his head again. Peter clings on to his father, feeling the strong urge to hold on to him and not letting go at all. He’s safe with him. Yes. Very safe.

“I- I don’t know what to do,” Peter admits, knowing he’s barely audible with his face against Tony’s shoulder.

“That’s alright. You don’t have to do anything yet,” Tony assures him. A hand goes to the back of Peter’s head, holding him steadily. “There’s no rush, there’s just you and me right now. And we’ll figure this out, okay?”

Peter nods, realizing he’s getting Tony’s shirt wet with his tears. He can hear Steve return to them by his footsteps, though he stops the moment he finds the two of them like this.

“What happened?” he asks in worry. Peter can simply feel Tony shake his head. Steve probably gets the message as he comes up to them and joins into the hug. And right now, at this moment, Peter’s never felt safer.

The next day, Peter and Tony do some research together to figure things out. He’s grateful that he doesn’t have to do it alone. And they find a lot of information. Things that Peter already knew, but had never thought ever applied to him.

And as he’s finally able to put a label onto it, he’s not too sure he feels better about it or worse. That probably depends on where this is going to lead him.

In the end, he’s still Peter Parker. And he figures that’s all that matters.

* * *

##  May 10th, 2025

It’s probably safe to say that Peter’s been avoiding New York.

It’s a bit of a stupid, shameful thing to admit but it’s never been truer. He’s hiding away from his friends, and most importantly he’s hiding from Johnny.

How could he not, after all? He’s feeling much safer, much better here at MIT where all his worries are school and not being a complete idiot in the eyes of his classmates.

But he knows his friends are worried. They text him almost daily. Wanda even came by with Vision once and they hung around campus for the entire day before she admitted that she might be pregnant, to which they had a celebratory dinner and talked about the couple’s plans for the future.

Shuri’s back to Wakanda. Ned is planning to come by sooner or later. Harry is on a business trip in China.

Johnny’s been sending messages as well, though Peter’s had a bit more of a difficult time answering

But eventually the time has to come that he has to return to New York. May doesn’t want to travel to Massachusetts all the time and neither do Tony and Steve. So that weekend Peter’s back in town. His first and only stop is his Aunt’s house, where she’s holding some sort of dinner party with the family. Rhodey is there, Steve and Tony, and then there’s the dog Jazz, a chocolate-brown Labrador that keeps on constantly licking Peter’s hand. After dinner, Peter simply snuggles up with the pet, lying on the ground with his arm wrapper around Jazz, who can’t seem to lie still and constantly begs to be petted.

He doesn’t know what to do other than that, so when Jazz makes it clear that he’s got enough from cuddling he gets on his feet and walks back to the bedroom assigned to him. Tony and Steve say goodbye and head out before Peter goes to bed. May and Rhodey go to watch another movie. It’s alright. As long as nobody starts asking him too many questions he’s fine.

The following day May has to work and Rhodey’s out as well. Peter wanders alone in the apartment for a moment, eats breakfast and then goes on a walk with Jazz to the nearby park. The dog has the time of his life, smelling every single bush and leaving his trace behind even when his bladder is most obviously empty.

Peter hears the siren of the police cars pass by, but he sees a couple members of the Avengers fly after them as well. He stays put. For this weekend, perhaps, he doesn’t want to be Spider-Man. He can just be Peter Parker.

Eventually Peter sits down on a bench, keeping Jazz between his legs and stroking his neck as the dog pants the usual way dogs do. There’s a girl walking her own Golden Retriever giving him a polite look. She smiles widely, probably hoping to talk to him. But Peter simply nods and looks away.

What he doesn’t expect is for somebody to come sitting down next to him. He knows who it is immediately, and his first instinct is to get up and walk away. But he figures he should just give her a chance, hear her out.

Safely in the disguise, that one being the brown wig and the blue contacts, Felicia looks over the park with her leg swung over the other and her arm thrown over the bench, resting behind his back.

“It’s been a while,” she says. Peter snorts.

“You could say that.” He doesn’t particularly feel like talking to her, the wounds of her betrayal still hurting despite it being a while back. But like always he can’t turn away from her. There has always been something hypnotic about her, after all.

“So I saw these police cars drive off, and you’re just sitting here. That can only mean that there’s something bothering you. You want to talk about it?” Jazz shows his interest in the girl next to Peter and walks up to her so she can pet him instead. He licks her hands and sniffs to her face. Felicia pets his head before scratching his chin.

“No offence, but why would I talk to you?” Peter asks. Felicia sighs.

“I know you don’t trust me. But despite what you think I still care about you. And I don’t like it when you’re down.”

“You disappeared.” Peter crosses his arms, keeping his eyes on the lake in front of him.

“Because you broke up with me. What, you thought I’d just stick around after that?”

Then they both sigh, realizing this is going nowhere. Besides, Felicia is not even close to Peter’s biggest problem at the moment.

“I’m probably in love with Johnny,” Peter says dryly. “Like I didn’t have enough problems as it is.”

“Okay, well, is that a bad thing? I thought Johnny liked you, too?” Felicia turns to him, attempting to meet his eyes. If his words hurt her feelings, she doesn’t let it show.

“It would have been fine a few years back. Johnny doesn’t like me anymore. He’s got a girlfriend”

They fall silent. Peter throws his head back and closes his eyes, like that would chase all the problems away.

“You know you have to tell him.” Felicia gets up on her feet and grabs his arm to pull him up. Peter groans, following her as they start walking again. She hooks her arm into his own, leaning up to him much like they used to do.

“Why would I?”

“Because this obviously isn’t working. If there are still any feelings for you, he’ll choose you. If there aren’t at least you both know it and you can work from there.”

Shit, Felicia is too smart for him. Peter wants to say no, that she’s not right. But he knows that she is, and it sucks even more.

“You’ve got such a big heart, Peter,” Felicia continues. She puts her free hand on Peter’s chest without stopping with her tracks. “And you’ve always had something special with Johnny. He’s your best friend, yes, but you’ve got this chemistry that I noticed even when _we_ were together.”

“And you never told me about that?” Peter wonders. Felicia chuckles.

“What, like I would tell my boyfriend he would be great with his best friend? Nah, I was too jealous for that. I wanted you all for my own.” Felicia then lets go of him, her eyes stuck on his.

“You found your father?” Peter asks when he realizes she’s about to leave again.

“I’m getting close,” she says. A sad smile comes up on her lips. “I’m sorry for lying to you about it.”

Peter doesn’t say anything. Not even when Felicia walks up to him, kisses his lips tenderly and then disappears again. Peter sighs sadly, feeling conflicted about her being here even for just a few minutes.

But he figures she might have had a point. So he’s preparing himself for an incredibly awkward conversation that he’s going to have. One that is really going to suck.

It still takes him a couple of days for him to send the text. By the time the next weekend arrives Peter’s about ready to explode out of his skin. If he could just die and be done with this, that would be very much appreciated.

  * **_Meet me at the usual place?_**
  * _Sure thing! Need me to bring anything along?_
  * **_No, that’s fine. See you in an hour_**



Arriving at the statue, he sits on the head now that the weather’s better. His legs swing over Lady Liberty’s forehead, his hands tapping the metal nervously while he waits. After ten minutes of waiting he takes out his phone and starts playing a game. Searching for anything to pass the time.

“Hey, Pete, it’s been a while!” Peter startles when he hears Johnny behind him suddenly. He hadn’t even heard him arrive being distracted by his phone like that. Peter turns in his surprise, finding Johnny standing there suited up but no longer in flames. He’s leaning against the crown, his arms crossed and a wide smirk on his lips.

“Johnny,” Peter breathes out. He gets on his feet and wants to approach him but stops himself. Instead, he sits back down, motioning for Johnny to do the same Johnny nods and does as Peter asks. Like a little kid would do he swings his legs up and down, smiling down at the view.

“So, what’s the occasion for the sudden meet-up? I thought you were swamped with school so I kinda left you alone, I hope that’s alright?”

“Yeah, yeah, no that’s alright. School’s been pretty busy but… I needed a time-out.”

“And so you’ve decided to chill with me. Always appreciated.” Johnny winks at him before stretching his arms above his head and yawning. “It’s been a long day, man. I’m glad I get to kick back for a while, you know?”

Peter chuckles. “Yeah, I know,” he agrees before clearing his throat. Yeah, uh, listen if it’s alright I kinda maybe want to discuss something with you?”

“Oh?” Johnny lowers his arms again and sits up straight. He can always go from being a brat to acting like a normal adult in just a matter of seconds. It’s insane. But Peter likes that about him. He licks his lips, looking down at Johnny’s hands that are on his lap. They look just as soft as they did back then during that movie. Peter lets out a deep breath while he tries to figure out how to speak.

Johnny stays quiet, probably realizing that he’s conflicted about something.

How in the world can he say this? How can he admit to his feelings to the person he might have feelings for? The person he, until shortly, didn’t even know he might have had feelings for?

“Pete? You okay?”

There’s a hand on his shoulder. Peter’s heart speeds up. He tries his best to sit still.

“Yeah, uh… It’s not… easy…”

“You can tell me anything. You know that, right?”

Peter nods. Of course he knows that. He takes another deep breath, raises his gaze until his eyes are looking at the city in front of him. Just rip the bandage. Make it quick.

“I like you, Johnny,” Peter blurts out.

Johnny chuckles and punches him playfully in the arm. “I like you too, you doofus. We’re friends after all.”

“No,” Peter corrects. “I _like_ , like you. Like more than a friend. Like I want too take this hand here and hold it in my own without any ulterior motive other than to just hold it.” As an example, Peter takes Johnny’s hand and tangles their fingers together, holding it up to express further what he means.

Johnny is quiet. He doesn’t pull away.

“I want to be with you, Johnny. And it took me a while to realize it but I finally know it!”

Staring at their joined hands, Johnny takes a deep breath before turning his head away. “You should probably stop talking now.”

Peter’s heart stops almost. His breath catches. Is Johnny dismissing him? Is Peter going to get the ‘we should just be friends’-speech from him?

Whoa, now he feels exactly how Johnny felt four years ago. Shame crawls up to him, immediately Peter lets go of Johnny’s hand.

“You don’t feel the same way,” Peter states. Johnny groans and gets back on his feet. He grabs his hair and shakes his head. That happy mood he had is now completely gone as Johnny suddenly looks tense and agitated.

“No, I _do_ feel the same way! I’ve felt it for four damn years, Peter!” Johnny’s voice is getting agitated. He’s actually getting angry about this. “But now that I’m with someone – someone I might actually like – you come and do this? What do you think I’m gonna do? Just dump Mel because you _suddenly_ feel the same way?”

“Johnny, I-“

“No! You don’t get to do this. You don’t get to expect me to flip over my entire life for you. I’m not breaking someone’s heart for you! I just won’t.”

Johnny turns his back to Peter leaning back against the crown with his gaze pointed upwards, like he’s searching for somebody up there.

“You’re too late, Pete. You’re just too damn late.”

Peter sighs, dropping his face in his hands. “I wish I wasn’t,” he admits. “I wish I realized sooner.”

“But you didn’t. And now things are as they are.” Johnny looks back at him with a sigh. “I want us to be friends, Pete. I goddamn love being your friend and I don’t want you out of my life because of this. But for I need you to respect my choice to be with Mel. I need you to accept this.”

Peter stays silent. Then he nods slowly. He can accept Johnny’s choices. He doesn’t have to agree with them, doesn’t have to like them, but he can accept them. Even if they hurt. Peter holds on to his own arms, feeling just so damn awful.

Maybe Felicia was wrong. Maybe he shouldn’t have told him.

Eventually Johnny flies off without saying anything else. Peter stays on the statue for a while longer. By the time evening comes he figures it’s best to return home. He packs his bags and announces that he’s going back to MIT for the week. Tony flies him back, and by the time they’re at the apartment Peter bursts out into tears and his father just holds him in silence. Because Tony probably knows. He always does.

* * *

##  June 14th, 2025

Time goes by so slowly. It’s like Madonna said, after all. The finals are finally over yet Peter’s still not done spending all his time at MIT packing up his stuff for the summer break. With the music playing loudly over the entire apartment, all he can do to fill his time is packing boxes.

It’s been a rough month to say the least. With barely any contact with the one person he desperately wants to talk to, Peter feels pretty much lonely all the way here in Massachusetts.

At one point he was glad that he finally gets to go back to New York for two months, but now that excitement is gone again as he realizes who exactly is walking around in that city.

This whole Johnny-business isn’t over. Of course it wouldn’t pass so quickly; it takes a lot of time for Peter to start liking a person romantically. It takes probably a lot longer to forget them, too. He never even really forgets them at all.

With the final box packed at last Peter hands the box to May who takes it from him and goes to load it into the car. She gives Peter a happy smile, glad that he’s coming back, too. Peter smiles back at her, though as soon as her back is turned it disappears again.

He’s too tired to keep pretending that he’s happy right now. Peter hunches forward, taking another deep breath. Perhaps he should tell the therapist that he’s not ready. That he can’t stop his meds now because of all that’s going on.

But he knows what he’ll get. ‘ _You shouldn’t let one letdown decide how you feel. You must try to stand above it.’_

Peter sighs again, taking one final look at the apartment and then turning to join his Aunt and Rhodey to the car.

Tony had wanted to pick him up but they figured it would be strange for Tony to come and visit Peter all the time. They purposely told him to stay at home, so that’s hopefully where he is.

May is talking excitedly in the car. Peter’s barely listening to it, instead trying to focus on the music playing on the radio. He still hums and nods whenever he thinks it’s appropriate and so far he’s never been wrong that way. He watches as they leave Massachusetts, trees and other cars passing them by. When they get to the highway Peter closes his eyes for a bit and leans back. He could probably have driven on his own but in all honesty he doesn’t even own a car (he’s Spider-Man, why on Earth would he have a car?) and he doesn’t particularly like to drive alone. This is better.

“I’m sure your friends will be thrilled that you’re back, too! Harry’s been by a little while back before he left for China. Asked if you were around.”

Peter hums, still. As horrible as it sounds, the only friend that he really wants to see probably doesn’t want to see him. At least not the way Peter wants him to.

“And I heard about Wanda and Vision expecting twins? I thought they wouldn’t have been able to have kids but it seems like they made it work.”

Of course Peter knows how sensitive May is about that subject. She’s had four miscarriages when she was a lot younger, until she and Ben both agreed that it was probably not meant to be. They hadn’t tried having children after that. Besides, it had been practically impossible for them to Wanda to have a kid with Vision, but she found some magic which helped her through this. Peter just hopes it isn’t going to blow up in their faces.

“Oh, and there’s that Stark Industries party that Pepper organized for the company’s 85th anniversary. We’re all invited, but I’m pretty sure Peter Stark will be required to make another appearance. I hope you don’t mind too much. I know you don’t like disguising yourself but I’m sure that you’ll do fine.”

Great, he completely forgot about the anniversary. That means another round of pretending, shaking people’s hands and acting like he’s interested in their stories.

“I’ll be fine,” Peter assures her calmly.

May finally stops talking for a bit. Peter’s glad, closing his eyes again and listening to the sound the car makes on the road. He can hear Rhodey mutter something to her and her responding, but at least they don’t address him and leave him alone.

His mind starts wandering for a bit. He thinks about the coming two months, how he’s going to get through them. He starts to rub his hands nervously and biting his lips at the idea that he might have to hang out with Johnny and Melissa.

 _I can do this_ , he tells himself. He opens his eyes and looks out the window. The first sign of New York approaching at last. Or perhaps too soon.

Peter turns to his Aunt, seeing her messy brown hair with hints of grey in them. There are more lines on her face, but she still looks beautiful in his eyes. The kindest, softest person in the world, he thinks.

“Hey, May?”

“Yes, sweety?” May turns. She has dimples when she smiles, her dark eyes glimmering.

“I haven’t told you this yet. Haven’t really told anybody this yet except for Dad because he helped me figure it out but… I like boys, too.”

May blinks at him, though the smile not faltering but instead widening.

“Alright,” she tells him. Peter smiles back, feeling a bit relieved finally admitting this to somebody other than Tony.

“Love you, May.” He reaches out his hand and May takes it, sitting in an awkward pose doing so.

“Love you, too, Peter,” she returns. She kisses his knuckles and holds on to him for a long part of the way.

* * *

##  June 15th, 2025

The anniversary is almost a completely different party than the gala a couple of weeks back. When Peter arrives he’s faced with so many more people, most of them parts of superhero groups that rely on Stark Industries. They’re all just casually talking to each other, some people introducing themselves to Peter but most of them leaving him alone.

Tony is walking around with Pepper by his side, being every bit the businessman he can be despite not being CEO anymore. Steve keeps up a conversation with some of the X-men. A couple of members of the Avengers are there as well. Carol greets Peter warmly when she sees him and Sam shakes his hand excitedly.

Peter shields himself away by staying close to his friends. MJ’s there with him though without Shuri. Ned and Betty are also there, as well as Yaël and Wade, the last two much to Peter’s surprise, though he’s still glad to see them.

“It’s been a long while since I’ve been back here,” Yaël points out excitedly. “I feel like I’ve missed out on a lot.”

They catch up on some stuff and Peter learns that her son, Raido, can do some insane magic tricks that sometimes freak her out. Wade, on the other hand, has nothing much to report.

“Oh, you know. I died a couple of times and always came back. It’s been a bit boring.” Wade shrugs simply and gets distracted by a waitress handing him another drink.

Peter blinks a couple of times when his eyes get annoyed by the contacts. He scratches his wig hard enough to get to the skin underneath it. This party can’t be over soon enough. Maybe he should just paint his hair black.

But that would ruin the point they’re trying to make here. Better to just endure it.

“Johnny not coming?” Yaël eventually asks. Of course, being gone for such a long while she’s not up to date with everything that has happened during that time. And Peter catches the way Ned and MJ glance at each other in worry. They know, and Peter knows, and Tony knows, and everybody’s going to be worried when Johnny _does_ arrive with his date on his arm.

Peter feels a wave of nausea hitting him. He tries to ignore it.

“Yeah, no, he’s probably late again. He always is,” he attempts to joke. Quickly he drinks from his glass of apple juice and nearly chokes on it when it goes down the wrong pipe. It must be during his coughing fit that Johnny arrives at last. By the time Peter’s recovered and the guy’s standing there with his girlfriend by his side, Peter feels like choking all over again.

“Johnny,” he greets him, attempting to be light but instead feeling sick. Johnny looks just as hesitant as Peter feels.

“Pete. You remember Mel?”

“Of course,” Peter takes Mel’s hand when she holds it out. She smiles happily at him. Peter hopes his is just as convincing, though he doubts it. “How have you been, Melissa?”

“Oh, just fine, thanks. Though I have to admit it’s a bit crazy dating a celebrity.” She pats Johnny’s arm and laughs. Ned and MJ force a chuckle as well, sensing the awkwardness just as much as they do. Yaël and Wade, who aren’t aware of it, introduce themselves to her and easily start up another conversation.

Peter knows he’s looking at Johnny. And he’s aware of Johnny looking back at him. It’s agony, knowing that they feel the same way for one another but can’t act on it because of the situation being the way it is. Peter wishes that he just figured it out sooner; before Johnny decided to go out with this girl. This kind, friendly girl who still makes Peter see green behind his eyes from the jealousy and envy he has for her.

She has no idea how lucky she is.

Johnny looks away when Melissa talks to him. Peter’s heart is racing. He bites his lips, deciding it’s better to turn away as well. He tries to say something to Ned but he wonders if what he’s telling him is even making any sense. He figures not given the way Ned raises his eyebrow at him and frowns.

“What?” Ned asks for clarification. Peter clears his throat.

“I’m heading outside for a bit,” he points to the balcony. Being outside is good. It can be great. Taking in the fresh air, looking out at the city. Maybe he hears a police car nearby and he has an excuse to bolt from here.

There’s a light summer breeze, but the weather’s hot. Too hot to stand here with a tux, but standing here is better than being inside there. Peter leans on the railing and just stays here.

“So, how have you been?”

Of course he would come. Of course he couldn’t leave Peter alone. Of course, of course, of course.

“Hi, Johnny,” Peter simply returns.

“You’ve been avoiding me.” Johnny sighs before walking to him. Then he goes to stand next to him and leans over the railing as well. He crosses his hands and looks up at the sky. “I mean, I did the same thing four years ago so I don’t really blame you…”

Peter says nothing. His eyes are stuck on Johnny’s hands and his ball into fists to keep himself from reaching out.

“I hope it’s alright I brought Mel along. I couldn’t exactly tell her she couldn’t come, you know… But I know it sucks for you. I’m sorry.”

“It’s alright.” Peter finally looks away. He fumbles his thumbs together nervously. He had gone outside for peace, and now he just wants to go back in. Just as long as he’s not with Johnny, he’s fine.

“So, again, how have you been?” Johnny tries. He tries so hard. But Peter just feels sick again. He bows down and takes a deep breath. His only view are his shoes but he’s fine with that. Just focus on the shoes.

“Just peachy, man.” It’s an obvious lie. Johnny probably knows that, too. It’s clear in the way he doesn’t respond immediately. Peter hopes he takes it as his queue to get back inside and leave him alone.

“Pete…” Or maybe he doesn’t. Peter quickly stands again and turns to his friend.

“Johnny, I don’t need your shit right now. Just get back inside and leave me the fuck alone, okay?”

Johnny looks hurt from his outburst. He hesitates for a couple of seconds before nodding and heading back inside. Once he’s gone Peter lets out a long, relieved breath. This is going to be a long evening.

* * *

##  June 20th, 2025

The whole thing happens just because of a knock on the door.

It doesn’t make sense for anybody to knock, because, one, FRIDAY would have warned him about anybody approaching, and two, all his friends are busy.

Which means it’s probably not one of his friends. It must be one of the Avengers, or the former members. It’s entirely possible that it’s Nat or Bucky coming up to ask him to watch over Teddy while they need to handle some important thing – they’ve done that before and Peter pretty much enjoys hanging out with their adopted son. Teddy’s a cool kid. Very smart for his age, too.

So yeah, Peter almost expects his neighbors to stand in front of his door when he opens it, but he’s proven wrong when he’s not faced with them but with Ned instead.

“Ned?” Peter asks, surprised. Ned looks a bit out of breath, leaning against the doorpost.

“Dude you know your elevator isn’t working?”

“Yeah, maintenance. You could have told me you were here, I would have come down.”

Ned tries to catch his breath. His entire body almost shakes on the spot. Eventually he walks inside the penthouse and reaches for the kitchenette to get something to drink. Peter watches him in silence, almost amused at Ned’s thirst.

“Holy shit, those were a lot of stairs.” Ned finishes a second glass of water and then a third. Then he finally puts the glass down and dries his mouth. “I have news.”

“You could have told me through the phone, dude.” Peter leans against the fridge and crosses his arms.

“Johnny-news,” Ned clarifies. Peter rolls his eyes.

“In that case I don’t even want to know.” He walks away, heading back to the couch where he’d been watching some documentary on fishes. At least, it had been playing while Peter had been going through his phone in search for anything to entertain him. But if he looks like he was busy watching it, at least it looks less pathetic.

“No, dude, you really need to know this.” Ned hurries after him. He almost jumps onto the couch next to Peter, bumping up against him. He’s still a bit out of breath, too.

“I promise you, at this moment there’s nothing about him that I want to know. Tell me in a month, maybe.”

“This can’t wait a month!” Ned grabs the remote control and turns off the TV, getting a quick ‘hey!’ out of Peter. “it’s over between him and Mel!”

Peter freezes. A flash of hope goes through him. But then it’s replaced by bitterness once more. “Sucks for him. I don’t care.”

“You should care! I heard every word of it, and you know the reason they broke up?”

“No, Ned, how would I know? It’s not like I heard it from all the way here!”

Ned doesn’t even seem affronted by Peter’s annoyance. “She told him that she knew he liked somebody else, and that she isn’t the one that will make him happy! And you know what Johnny then did? He agreed with her! And they simply hugged and then she left! Just like that!”

“Good, great conversation. Can we change the subject now?” Peter gets the remote control again and turns the TV back on, though steering away from the fish-documentary this time. Once again Ned snatches it out of his hand and tuns the TV off. Then he throws the remote further away on the couch, out of Peter’s reach.

“Pete, I’m telling you that Johnny’s no longer with Mel. I don’t think they ever really were; he was probably just more into the idea of being with her. You know, I learn a lot being his roommate. But now that he’s single and you are single… I mean…” Ned brings his two index-fingers together in a gesture that makes Peter roll his eyes.

“No way, man,” he mutters. He figures he’s being petty but he can’t just go and be hopeful again only to have it smash him in the face. Again.

“Yes way! Pete, we all lied to you, okay? We told you Johnny was over you because he asked us to do so, just so you wouldn’t be uncomfortable around him or act careful whenever you’re with him. But he was never over you. He’s wanted you ever since the beginning and that’s never stopped.”

Peter pulls his legs up and wraps his arms around them. Ned’s not making any sense at all.

“Pete we don’t like to see you like this. We want you to be happy, too. And we know how you can be happy.” Ned shakes his shoulder gently, finally making Peter look back up.

“I don’t want to have hope only to lose it again,” Peter whispers out.

“You’re not going to lose it! You’re gonna march up to Johnny, you’re gonna pour your entire heart out and you two are going to talk things through until you’re together, alright?”

It’s not so simple as that. Peter can’t just go in and demand a conversation with Johnny. Not after how he dismissed him only a couple of days ago. Not after he’s just been dumped by the girl he was with. Peter’s not that kind of guy.

When Peter voices his concerns to Ned, he agrees to that.

“You’re right, He needs a couple more days.” Ned leans back. “We should make a plan.”

“A plan? What kind of plan?”

“You know.” Ned grins. “Like a whole thing. A grand gesture that will show him how you feel. So that he can’t help but say yes to you.”

“Like a public proposal or something?”

“Yeah, but something less drastic than asking him to marry you.”

Peter rolls his eyes but then nods. “What do you have in mind?”

“Well, he mentioned to me that he was planning on going to Pride at the end of the month…”

And with that first piece of information they start brainstorming. And eventually they call up all their other friends. And with their help, at the end of the day a complete plan is formed.

* * *

##  June 30th, 2025

The LGBTQ Pride Parade has grown even more over the past few years, each time attracting more visitors. The parades are getting even more colorful, and before it starts there’s now something close to a show to kick it off on the very first cart of the parade.

Peter’s been at pride a couple of time, there to represent his demisexuality with the whole club. Nat’s always with him and they cheer and have fun with the entire asexual community, finding others like them and expanding their group.

This is the first time Peter’s not going with them. He explains to them why he can’t, and they all understand it.

Peter knows Tony and Steve have been special guests at Pride once a couple of years back. They had been asked to speak to the entire community, give them hopeful words and assurance that things will be better. And it had been a hit. So much that the next year they had been allowed to return. But this third year they chose to celebrate pride in a more anonymous matter. Another special guest had to be found after that, but Tony made sure to help them find somebody.

The amount of people present is insane. Peter’s taken aback by it each time again.

The plan is perfect. They’ve worked on it for days, perfecting it and making sure that there’s nothing that can go wrong. It took a lot of phone calls, and another few hours of preparation this morning but now Peter’s ready for it to start.

He’s still nervous. His contacts are itchy as always but at least he didn’t have to wear a wig due to the spray paint they put into it to make it pink, yellow and blue, those being the colors of the pansexual- and romantic flag. It had been MJ’s idea, to save him from having to put on the wig. She’s an angel and he’s forever in her debt.

The shirt Peter’s wearing has the demisexual flag on it. MJ also has the pansexual colors on her, her face painted with it, while Shuri has the color of the rainbow in her entire outfit. Ned and Betty, while both being straight, show their support by waving their own rainbow-colored flags around.

Wade joins them on the pansexual team, while Yaël represents the aromantic spectrum, which pretty much looks like the demisexual flag except that it’s with green colors instead of purple. Harry has the pink-purple-blue from the bisexual flag. Liz, also straight, excitedly holds up a rainbow flag.

Seeing all his friends like this Peter realizes just how people that are so different can still be friends. Everybody’s clearly enjoying themselves, the music playing loudly yet the parade not having started. So far, Peter hasn’t yet been recognized – or if he has people have left him alone so far. He appreciates it. He hasn’t seen his dad or Steve around but given the amount of people present he figures those chances are pretty low to begin with.

“So you’re sure he’s gonna show up?” Shuri asks Ned.

“Yeah, I’ve seen him get himself ready. Told me he’d meet us here. Don’t worry, he won’t miss this for the world!” They have to shout to be heard, but that makes it all the more fun. MJ and Liz start dancing along to the beat and Harry lets out an excited shout. Peter simply feels nervous, figuring this is it; it’s now or never. If it doesn’t work, then he should probably just give it up.

“You ready, Pete?” Shuri gives him a supportive look, touching his arm gently. Peter smiles nervously, nodding but knowing that it doesn’t look like he’s sure about it at all.

“I’m pretty much dying right now,” he admits instead. Shuri laughs and moves to hug him. The others then quickly join in, making it a quick group hug that almost steals Peter’s breath. He gasps for air once he’s released.

It’s due to his super-sensitivity that he feels the phone vibrate in his pocket. It had been arranged that way, that they would warn him when it’s time through text. Peter had promised them that he would not miss it.

Checking his phone his heart skips another beat. “I need to go,” he tells them. The others tell him words of good luck and wave him off. MJ kisses his cheek and hugs him once. Ned just winks at him before Peter walks off.

Approaching the big cart Peter finally catches sight of Tony and Steve, the two of them rainbow-colored and in a deep conversation with the person that organized this entire thing. Peter walks up to them and clears his throat, though it’s pretty inaudible so instead he pokes his Dad on the shoulder.

“Pete!” Tony shouts when he sees him standing there. There’s obvious pride in his eyes when he notices all the different colors he has on him. Of course, Tony knows of the plan. They’ve discussed it a long while, trying to figure out if it could be done as Peter Stark since the other two options were not a good idea.

“Hi!” Tony throws his arm around Peter’s shoulder and turns back to Mr. Fieldman, the big organizer. He’s a gay man, himself. When they’re face to face, Peter quickly greets him by shaking his hand.

“Young Mr. Stark, it’s good to finally meet you face to face,” Mr. Fieldman says with a happy smile.

“Likewise,” Peter counters. Then he turns to his Dad and Steve. “I thought you two wanted to be anonymous this pride?”

“Yeah, well, we were but first we’re gonna stand by our boy.” Tony hugs him closer and Steve laughs.

“He just wants to make sure that nothing happens to you,” he explains afterwards. Peter simply rolls his eyes. He turns back to Mr. Fieldman, who watches it all happen in amusement.

“So when are we getting started?” he asks.

Mr. Fieldman looks down at his watch. “We have five more minutes before it starts. If you want you can climb up already. Troy will give the introduction and then the stage’s all yours.”

Peter smiles and nods at him. “Thank you so much.” Mr. Fieldman only winks.

“Everything to help out someone in need,” he returns. Then he steps aside and lets the three of them get onto the cart. They walk up the stairs but at least they’re not immediately in view. Peter can look over the crowd without anybody seeing him. That’s how he sees his group of friends slowly getting closer as well. A small smile and another wave of nervousness comes up when he catches that familiar messy blonde hair, now accentuated with pink, purple and blue as well. Johnny’s completely in theme, and despite everything he looks like he’s still having fun.

But Peter can see him looking around. Checking his clock and eventually asking around. Everybody he approaches simply shrugs and mutters something back. Johnny never seems pleased with the answer.

“You ready, Pete?” Tony then asks, squeezing his shoulder a bit. Peter shakes his head.

“No, but there’s no turning back now,” he tries. His attempt at chuckling just makes him want to hurl. Especially when the guy Mr. Fieldman mentioned, Troy, comes up wearing a rainbow-colored crown and coat. The cheering gets louder, people clapping once they realize it’s going to start. Peter’s breath catches. It’s probably not too late to go back, right?

Both Steve and Tony hold on to him in reassurance. Peter calms down a tiny bit.

“Hello New York!” Troy starts. The city greets him back with loud cheers. And Troy starts with welcoming everybody back, repeating the importance or Pride and how far they’ve come. For a moment Peter tunes it out, having heard the speech before in the previous years.

His heart is beating like crazy. His hands are stiff, his breath escaping him. This is crazy. This is insane. It’s not the first time that he’s going to talk to a large public, but this is almost all of New York! This is exponentially more people than he’s used to!

“And now I’m very honored to pass over this microphone to none other than – and yes people you know this individual – here is Peter Stark!”

Cameras are pointed at him, his shocked face probably plastered all over the screen behind him. When he turns to check he realizes that it’s true.

Shit, shit, shit. This is it. He gets a soft push on the back from Tony and Peter finally makes his first steps forward. Troy nods at him in assurance as Peter takes the mic from him.

 _Just do it. If you look comfortable, people are going to believe you are_. He takes another deep breath before opening his mouth.

“Hello New York City!” he shouts, almost like he’s a singer at a concert greeting his fans. Underneath him he can see the people happily wave their flags around. And even as his eyes have the urge to only look down to where he knows his friends are, he looks everywhere but there.

“Thank you all so much!” Peter waves at the citizens of the city, their cheering giving him a lot of confidence. His smile is genuine now, the faster beating of his heart no longer just the fear but also the excitement. “I have to admit that this is all extremely scary and I’m shaking on my feet, but at the same time I’m so honored to be here!”

Peter turns to look at his father who holds up his thumbs. He’s doing good.

“A few years ago, back when I didn’t know anything… I- I told my parents that I was broken. That there was something wrong with me. And I was convinced that it was true. People would think that I was just a prude, that I was probably exaggerating about it. But thanks to some very special people I’ve learnt so much. And I finally know now that I’m _not_ broken! I’m not damaged! I am only human!”

More cheering. Peter grins, looking down at his shirt.

“I’ve known I was demisexual for a little while now. My friends, my family, my extended family all know it, too. And they support me and try all they can to understand this part of me that they didn’t know of before. So there’s no way I’m not telling each and every one of you here that I’m so very grateful for you all. With all my heart, thank you so much!”

Peter turns to Tony and Steve once again, and on the screen he can see the camera focusing on them, too. Tony blows him a kiss while Steve holds up a thumb.

“But as if life isn’t exciting enough, I’ve made some more discoveries in my life.” Peter chuckles, looking down. “I mean, you guys probably already know what I’m on about given the particular colors in my hair. But if you all allow me, I’d like to tell you my journey of discovery.”

And boy, does the crowd seem excited for that. Peter is pretty sure there’s live coverage of this, too. All the newspapers are going to be writing about it the moment the words leave his mouth. Every person in America, and probably the world, is going to know about it.

“So I broke up with my girlfriend almost a year ago,” he starts. “We were together for a while, but eventually it came to an end. And I had finally admitted to myself that I was glad being single again. After all, I didn’t have to take anybody else into account when making stupid choices like which movie I’m going to watch, or what I’m going to eat.

“You see, I have this best friend – I mean, I have a lot of best friends, but there’s this particular one. A few years ago, back when I figured I was still very much straight, he admitted to me that he liked me more than just a friend. And I told him I wasn’t interested.”

There’s some fake booing in the crowd. Peter laughs.

“I know, right? Booh me! But then fast-forward four years later where I’m glad I’m single again and I get to choose my food and my movies and where I go and who I go with. And there I find myself choosing my food with my best friend. Watching movies with him. Hanging out with him and our other friends. Shall I admit it; I had no idea, but everybody else around me did. And they let me know this. Very loudly.”

Laughter. Behind him, Peter can hear Tony and Steve chuckle as well.

“By the time I finally came to realize that this best friend of mine might mean a lot more to me than I initially realized I was a bit too late. Timing wasn’t right, things got a bit messy and we ended up falling apart a little bit. Which has been my fault completely.”

Now, finally, Peter dares to look down at where his friends are. He sees MJ and Shuri holding on to each other and looking at him with pride. He sees Ned and Betty holding hands. There’s Liz sitting on Harry’s shoulders, despite her already being very tall. And in the middle, looking so shocked he almost stopped breathing, stands Johnny.

And he’s the one Peter locks his gaze on. He gives him a smile, wondering if Johnny can even see that it’s him he’s looking at.

“You know, wise men say only fools rush in,” Peter starts. The sounds are deafening once he brings up the quote, the piece of lyric from Elvis’ popular song. “But… I just can’t help falling in love with you.” Peter points at Johnny, smiling widely. He sees Johnny’s face turn bright red, especially when some of the cameras start pointing at him.

He sees his friends push Johnny forward, forcing him to approach the cart even more. Of course they follow him, much like Peter does with his eyes until they’re completely out of view. Peter turns behind him, nodding at Tony and Steve who nod in return and head to the stairs. They have to verify, after all.

“What do you guys say, should I ask him to come here?” Peter suggests.

The answer is obvious enough. Peter chuckles.

“I don’t think he heard you, people!”

They cheer even louder, and now Peter figures all he has to do is wait. He turns around, observing the stairs in the hope that they can convince Johnny to come up. Just imagine he doesn’t want to? Just imagine he only comes up to tell Peter to get bent. Fear sinks in once more, and Peter finds himself frozen in place.

His breath catches when he sees Johnny being urged up. He’s quickly followed by all of Peter’s friends, but he barely sees them. All he sees is a brightly-colored Johnny Storm stumbling onto the stage. The normally smooth superhero now almost looking like a bumbling teenager who has no idea which foot is right and with is left.

Peter forces himself to move. He holds out his hand in Johnny’s direction, waiting for him to react. Johnny gives him a short glare, though with obvious amusement in his eyes. He does decide to move forward and join Peter on the front of the stage. Now very much in view as well, his identity as the Human Torch must be very much known by now.

Peter lifts up the mic once again once Johnny’s put his hand into Peter’s. Where their skin touches, Peter’s is burning almost. He tries to smile, but feels like crying from happiness at the same time.

“Johnny,” Peter starts, though interrupted by the loud cheers from beneath. “I know it took me a while. And I know now how hard it was for you to be around me when we were roommates. Holy crap, do I realize that now. But, I’m asking you here, no, begging you, to acknowledge the fact that it took me a long-ass time to figure this all out. I was scared, I was in denial. I was… lying to myself for so long, but not anymore. I know who I am now.”

He squeezes Johnny’s fingers, offering him a light smile.

“I am the man who wants to be with you. I am the man who gets nervous being around you, but also when you’re not around. I’m the man who wants to hold your hand, and maybe one day even kiss you and tell you what I feel for you. I want you, and only you, as my partner, both in fighting crime as in life.”

Peter then lowers the microphone so that the people don’t hear the next part.

“I’m so sorry I was an ass.”

Johnny grins, looking down at their joined hands before lifting his head again. “You’re very much an ass, yes,” he agrees.

Peter chuckles awkwardly. He nods. He deserves that one, at least.

He freezes again when Johnny’s hands grab his face between them and forces him to look back at him.

“But you’re my ass, now,” he assures him. And then he pulls him closer, kissing him on the lips, right in front of everybody. All the sound around him dies down, all the people fade away. All he knows and feels is Johnny, right here and right now.

And it’s weird, the kissing. After all, this is his best friend. You’re not supposed to kiss your best friend. But at the same time it’s extremely exhilarating and insane. So insane that Peter automatically leans further into the kiss, putting one hand in Johnny’s hair and the other one behind his back, pulling him closer.

They pull away to catch their breath, and that’s when the sound returns. Balloons are falling down above them, confetti curling into the air in bright rainbows. Behind him his friends are cheering happily for a plan well executed. He can see his Dad and Steve pecking each other quickly, as well.

“You know, you’re insane,” Johnny eventually tells him. He throws his arms around Peter’s waist while Peter’s are over Johnny’s shoulders. Their faces are still close, their foreheads pressed together.

“Good thing I am, otherwise this wouldn’t have worked at all.”

“You didn’t _have_ to do all this for me, you know? I was gonna find you eventually. I just hadn’t figured out how yet.”

“Just shut up, hot shot.” Peter pulls him into a strong hug. He hands the microphone back to Troy who resumes his speech to the people of New York. Meanwhile, Peter and Johnny hide back away with their friends.

Everybody’s happy and excited. As the march starts they’re having the best of fun. Peter, at one point, even dances with his Dad and Steve.

And by the end of the day the whole world knows that he finally, _finally_ , has Jonathan Storm as his boyfriend. Bunking down at the apartment, once again sharing a bed with Johnny, this time he feels no shame in observing him. Because now he’s allowed to.

Peter smiles. Finally, he feels free again.


	2. The Relationship

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry this took a while! It's a lot longer, work came between it and I am currently on vacation as well so there hadn't been as much time to write I'm afraid!  
> This one is almost twice as long as the first chapter, but a lot more happens in it as well. I hope it's not too bad. 
> 
> There's, in fact, so much more that could be told, but I figure we could stick to this for the time being, otherwise it's going to be way too long. I've also changed some things from the first chapter; Wanda didn't yet lose the twins, and the current pregnancy she has is her first. I've already edited that in the first chapter.  
> For those who have read the BAS Timestamps, Peter and Johnny's first time had already been posted there. It's in this chapter again, though a little bit different (I took away some additional information that wasn't necessary in this story, but was needed in the standalone). If you don't feel like reading that one again, just skip to the next date ;-)

## 

##  July 1st, 2025

It’s safe to say that the entire world knows it by the time Peter gets up the following morning. His ears have finally stopped buzzing, and his body feels warm and at last completely relaxed. He barely has to stretch when he gets out of the empty bed and heads to the kitchen, only to find Johnny already sitting there.

“I thought there was something missing this morning, but I couldn’t tell what,” Peter jokes. Johnny chuckles as he flips over a pancake before dropping it down on top of the others.

“At least you noticed I was gone.” Johnny puts down the pan and sighs happily. He leans against the counter and looks at Peter with this strange look. Peter frowns, looking down at himself to see what’s wrong. But he doesn’t find anything at all.

“What is it?” he asks. Johnny simply chuckles but stays put where he is. There’s quite a bit of distance between them, a stark contrast to how they were yesterday. But Peter’s not too sure if he should come closer.

“I can’t believe this actually happened,” Johnny admits. “You have no idea how long I’ve thought about it. And now that it’s here I- I don’t really know what to do…”

Peter chuckles and takes a step forward. “You don’t have to do anything,” Peter assures him. Carefully, with hesitation, he takes Johnny’s hand into his own and holds on to it, yet he doesn’t approach him further. He doesn’t dare, which is in fact stupid but not that strange since they’ve only _just_ upgraded a relationship level.

“I dunno, maybe I wanna kiss you?” Johnny teases. He pulls on Peter’s hand until they’re standing closely together. His free hand goes behind Peter’s head. He holds him there, their eyes glued to each other and a soft smile present on their lips.

“That’s so weird,” Peter realizes.

“I know,” Johnny admits, as well. He lets go of Peter’s head as the two of them start laughing. They take another step back. Johnny then picks up the plate and brings it to the table while Peter goes to take some mugs out of the cupboard. Leaning his hip against the counter, Peter starts up the coffee machine and waits for the water to be warmed up.

“So, you have a busy day ahead of you today?” Casual conversation. They’re good at that. Peter can work from there on, for sure.

“As a matter of fact, I do. And that little stunt of yours from yesterday probably isn’t going to make this easier.” He doesn’t sound bothered by it, much to Peter’s relief.

“Sorry, man… I know you didn’t really get a say in all this… I should have thought of that.” After the mugs are filled Peter puts them down on the table and he sits down facing Johnny who shakes his head.

“Nah, dude. It was pretty romantic. You really took me by surprise; I didn’t know you had it in you.” Johnny sticks out his tongue at him. Peter picks up his fork and knife.

“Whoa! I can be very romantic!” Peter counters.

“Really? Give me one example of you being romantic,” Johnny jokes. Peter opens his mouth but nothing comes to him.

“I- uh… Just wait, I’ll show you eventually.” Peter puts a piece of pancake in his mouth to have an excuse not to talk. Johnny rolls his eyes and pats his cheek twice before leaning back.

“You make sure you do, Dreamboat,” he tells him with a wink. Peter snorts; it’s not the first time Johnny’s used the nickname, but it’s the first time, still, that it does something to Peter. Feeling himself shiver and smirk because of it, Peter really hopes he won’t ever stop using nicknames.

Johnny always has the best nicknames, after all.

The sound of a knock on the door startles them both. Johnny curses in annoyance, dropping his cutlery as he gets up and goes to the door. When Peter looks over his shoulder to see who it is he’s surprised to find Sue Storm standing there.

“Johnny! You aren’t even dressed?” she asks in surprise, inviting herself in. She then greets Peter the usual way, with a quick kiss on the cheek. “Hello, sweety. How are you doing.”

“Doing just fine, Sue, thanks,” Peter grins at her. Johnny rolls his eyes and sits back down.

“What’s the rush? It’s not like he’s going anywhere, after all…”

“My rush is the two kids in the hallway! I have someone who can look after them but we need to leave _now_!”

When Johnny makes no move to get up she pulls at his hair to get him into action.

“Alright, alright! I’m going!” Johnny gets up begrudgingly and goes back to his bedroom. For a moment Peter watches him go before he sighs and smiles.

“You know I can look out for the kids for a bit. I love hanging out with them,” he suggests. He’s babysat them countless of times already. They’re friends, now!

“You’re sure? I don’t want to bother you with-“

“Nah, you’re not bothering me at all.” Peter waves the comment off and plucks another pancake off the plate. “Just get them in here and we’ll play some games.”

“You’re sure you weren’t going home?”

Peter looks around, seeing the apartment he used to live in for three years before moving out. It looks almost exactly the same, only some pieces of furniture have been upgraded and most of Peter’s stuff have been replaced by Ned’s. But despite that, this place hasn’t changed at all.

“I’m pretty sure I am home,” he assures her. Sue smiles and walks back to the door, talking to someone she figures is Reed. And just as the door opens Franklin and Valeria come storming in happily.

“Peter!” they shout happily, jumping up onto his lap and hugging him tightly. Only a couple of seconds later Reed enters as well.

“Hello, Peter. Thank you so much!”

Peter chuckles. “It’s no problem at all. Hello, you little brats!”

The two golden-haired kids jump back off his lap and head to the large television, starting Johnny’s gaming system. Reed doesn’t look so impressed but Sue seems amused.

“Anyway, I figure congratulations are in order. Though, to be fair, Sue and I might have seen this coming a while back already.” Reed puts a hand on Peter’s shoulder and gives him a wink.

“Seen what coming?” Sue asks in confusion, clearly not following the conversation. Meanwhile Johnny finally comes out of his room, wearing a deep blue shirt and some black pants. He looks classy, especially with his hair slicked back.

“You hadn’t seen it yet? They’re together? It was on the news,” Reed explains just as Johnny goes to greet his nephew and niece with a kiss on their hair.

“And you didn’t think of telling me this?” Sue gives him an affronted look. Reed only frowns.

“My dear, I swear I thought you’d seen it.”

“If I’d seen it don’t you think I would have said anything about it?”

Peter drowns out the conversation for a bit, turning to Johnny who is now standing behind Peter. He leans his head back until it’s resting against Johnny’s belly, and Johnny’s who hands are on Peter’s shoulders.

“You’re gonna be okay?” he asks. Peter chuckles.

“Of course I am,” he assures him. He then decides to stand up and get right in front of him. Leaning forward he carefully tries to kiss Johnny.

They bump their foreheads together. It’s funny so they laugh. Their second attempt has their noses getting in the way. On the third Peter accidentally steps on Johnny’s toes.

Okay, so this was a lot easier yesterday, he realizes. Why is it so awkward now?

Eventually Johnny rolls his eyes, grabs Peter’s face and smashes their lips together. It’s short, very short. Probably for the better because Peter feels like he’s going to explode out of his skin.

This is just too weird. But not the bad kind of weird.

“See you in a bit, little spider,” Johnny whispers before pulling away. 

Peter swallows past a lump in his throat and nods. “See ya, hot stuff,” he returns. Johnny winks and the two turn to Sue and Reed who have now stopped arguing and are looking at them with a fond smile.

“You two are good,” Sue tells him.

“Okay, that’s enough out of you.” Johnny takes his sister’s arm in his hands and pulls her along to the door. She and Reed both laugh, though following him out. Peter barely hears the quick ‘bye’.

Then he’s left alone with the Richards-offspring, the two of them already having started some sort of game they must probably play a lot with their Uncle Johnny whenever they’re here. Peter smiles, sitting down and taking his cellphone as he looks through the news just to see what exactly is written about them.

* * *

##  July 4th, 2025

There are these movies and TV shows where former best friends eventually fall in love and end up together. In those movies it’s always like they were just meant to be, and everybody around them knew before they did. And while the beginning sounds slightly familiar, Peter feels like he can’t, at all, relate to the part that comes after that.

The part where they’re in an actual relationship, and act like an actual couple while being super very much in love.

It’s not such smooth sailing as Peter would have hoped. Not that things aren’t going great; heck, he’s having fun with Johnny. But there’s just the matter of kissing. And touching. And hugging.

The trouble is that, for a long while they were best friends. Sure, they hugged occasionally but not in the same way. There had been touches, but those were limited to the occasional pat on the shoulder or something else like that.

It’s like it hasn’t yet sunk in that Peter’s allowed to do more. He _can_ kiss Johnny if he wants to. He _can_ touch him more than before. But the thought doesn’t come up to him at all. Not yet, at least. He figures they’re just going to have to get used to it.

He knows that things are just as confusing for Johnny. After all, this is the first _actual_ relationship he’s in. Johnny’s not yet sure what it means to be somebody’s boyfriend, and while Peter is in fact familiar with the term, he’s not experienced with actually _having_ a boyfriend. It’s a lot different from having a girlfriend, he realizes.

“So, uh… you think we should try again?” Peter can’t help but give Johnny a questioning look. They’re in the park, walking around the celebrations with rather convincing disguises on so as not to be recognized. To be fair, seeing Johnny wearing Peter’s black wig is something completely different. Peter, of course, is his own disguise.

“I mean, perhaps?” Johnny puts his hands to Peter’s hips again and leans forward to kiss him once more. Peter tries; he _really_ tries. But he still can’t help bursting into laughter only ten seconds in, much like the few previous times. In return, Johnny, too, starts laughing.

“I’m sorry! I’m so sorry! This is terrible!” Peter has tears in his eyes from the amusement and embarrassment at the same time. How hard can it be to kiss somebody? He’s done it before, hasn’t he? And he’s pretty sure Johnny has, too! They’re not complete idiots when it comes to that!

“It’s not terrible, it just… needs some adjustment,” Johnny returns with a grin. He takes his hands from Peter’s hips and instead takes his hands, swinging them left and right without looking up. “Unless you… don’t like it?”

“I do!” Peter quickly shouts before pressing his lips into a thin line. “Maybe if I tilt my head to this side and you-“

“Okay.” Johnny does as Peter suggests and they try again. The result is very much the same. After another burst of laughter they pull away completely. Peter has his hands on his hips while Johnny is rubbing his eyes.

“We’re hopeless.” Peter shoots him a smile, hoping that Johnny isn’t going to take it too bad that they can’t even kiss without him losing it.

“We’ll get it eventually,” Johnny still assures him. “How ‘bout we just go on a walk, huh? There’s a celebration going on, after all.”

“Actually, I was thinking…” Peter takes Johnny’s hand into his own again. “It’s about time to head to the dinner party. Do you want to come with me?”

Johnny almost reels back, a clear surprise in his expression as his eyes widen and his mouth drops. His hands let go of Peter as he goes back a step. “The dinner party at your folks’?”

Peter nods. “Dude, you’ve met my family. It’s not like I’m introducing you to my parents or anything,” he jokes.

“But it’s completely different now, Pete! This will be the first time I’ll see them since we’ve gotten together! They left us alone at the parade but I’m pretty sure I’m going to get the ‘hurt him and I’ll kill you-‘ speech from both Iron Man and Captain America.”

Peter rolls his eyes, quickly grabbing Johnny’s hands again and squeezing them. “They’re not going to kill you,” he assures him. “Just let them do their speech and ignore it. They talk a lot of game but it’s mostly just bluff.”

“Says you. You can’t even get the speech from my old man since he’s stuck in jail.” Johnny sighs and shakes his head before biting his lower lip. “Okay, fine, I’ll come with you. But only because you want me to.”

“You’re amazing,” Peter grins, though still a little uneasy at the mention of Johnny’s dad. They avoided the subject a lot, only talked about it occasionally back when they were roommates. “Don’t worry, I’ll take care of you, I promise.”

“You better,” Johnny points out. “But I want one thing in return.”

“You name it.” Peter’s still grinning. He’s swinging their hands left and right again while he waits for Johnny’s terms.

“I want another kiss. But a good one this time. One where you don’t start giggling like a little kid after five seconds.” The grin on Johnny’s face indicates that he’s teasing him. Peter rolls his eyes.

“I don’t giggle like a little kid,” he counters.

“Yes you do.”

“Just shut up.” Peter leans forward, pressing their mouths together and focusing on Johnny, only. Not on how weird this is. Not on how the instruction video he’d watched yesterday told him to do this (to be fair, he only watched it because he suddenly just sucked at kissing). Only on Johnny’s face so close to his, the softness of his lips against Peter’s. And for a moment it seems to work. It really does. It works enough for Peter to start feeling that tingling in his stomach, his fingers, his feet. He feels lightheaded, excited that he’s doing it.

But then Johnny tries the next part, which is where Peter loses it. Feeling his tongue press against his teeth, Peter bursts out in laughter again. He pulls his head back, though keeps his arms around Johnny’s neck in a strong embrace.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry! We were doing so well and-“

“No tongue?” Johnny jokes, then, to which Peter loses it as he lets go of him completely and walks away, hunched forward to catch his breath.

A minute later, when he gets himself back together he looks back at his boyfriend with an apologetic look.

“It’s okay,” Johnny assures him before Peter has to speak. “I’ll put on a reminder that I’ll leave the tongue for later.”

Peter snorts again. He approaches Johnny and embraces him again. But this time there’s no kissing. Peter’s head rests against Johnny’s, their bodies pressed together as they just hold on to each other.

“You’re such a dork, Peter Parker.”

“So are you, Jonathan Storm.”

“Oooh, using the full name? Must have done something really bad.” Johnny tries to pull back but Peter doesn’t let him. He just wants to stand like this for a moment. While kissing might be weird, hugging isn’t. It isn’t at all. Or just not as weird. It’s the same as before, but now he can lean into the touch some more.

Eventually he lets go of him, though still taking his hand as he starts walking. “Come on, we need to change.”

“Oh, right, Steve’s birthday dinner. Kill me now.”

“Never.” 

* * *

##  July 23rd, 2025

They’re getting a bit better at kissing eventually.

It’s what daily practice gets done, after all. If Peter stays over at the apartment, they simply start their day with a kiss or two or three. After that, it’s just doing it whenever they can. But there’s also the detail that they do not literally spend every day together, so it’s not like it’s daily practice, either. Sometimes Peter’s with his family or Johnny’s with his. Or they’re off fighting crime. Or… it goes on and on. When they’re with friends they also refrain themselves from practicing, just because they don’t want to be that weird couple that gets into a lip-lock all the time.

And maybe, also, they don’t want everybody to know they kinda suck at kissing.

This particular week is a perfect example for it. It’s a free weeek, they’ve decided. No Spider-Man, no Human Torch. No Peter Stark and no Johnny Storm. It’s just them; Peter and Johnny, hanging out with their friends as they are on their way to the beach.

They’ve been staying at the mansion in Malibu since Monday. Tony still owns it, though he only goes there on holiday. It’s been used as a vacation-house to all the friends of the family, and this week it’s Peter’s and _his_ friends’ to use.

Despite it only housing Tony and Pepper at first, after having to rebuild it Tony probably had it in mind to make it a holiday home so he had a couple more bedrooms built into it.

They have individual rooms, at least. That’s great, Peter finds as he wakes up in his designated bedroom with only Johnny with him. Ned and Betty share as well, and so do Shuri and MJ, Harry and Liz, and finally Wanda and Vision. A holiday with five couples almost sounds like disaster, but they’re making it work pretty well.

“Good morning,” Peter tells Johnny the moment the other opens his eyes. He smiles at him, seeing how Johnny is slowly waking up. His eyes are small, constantly closing as he refuses consciousness. His hand is thrown over Peter’s middle somewhere in his sleep, while his other arm is underneath his head.

“Pete?” Johnny mutters sleepily. Peter chuckles.

“Yeah?” he asks.

“You suck.”

Peter laughs. Johnny’s such an idiot. He shuffles a bit closer until their faces are right next to each other. Then when Johnny’s eyes open again, they stay open.

“Did you sleep well?” he asks him. Johnny chuckles and moves closer as well, snuggling up to Peter, tightening his hold over him with the arm around his middle.

“Always with you around,” Johnny says sappily, making Peter’s eyes roll from the cheesiness of it. “I almost didn’t want to wake up.”

“Almost, huh?” Peter can’t help his smile. He breathes in the smell of Johnny’s shampoo as his nose is pressed into the other’s hair. It smells of cherries and… some flower. Peter can’t tell. But it smells really nice.

“Yeah. ‘cause if I didn’t wake up you’d have to live life without my awesome presence. Couldn’t do that to you, after all.”

“Yeah, you’re a real treasure,” Peter adds dryly. He then starts pushing against Johnny’s shoulder to get him loose. “C’mon, I’m hungry.”

But Johnny doesn’t budge. “Noooo!” he complains against Peter’s chest. “I don’t want to.”

“Then what do you want?”

“I want a kiss. But not a short one. A long one. A good one. We’ve practiced, we can do it.”

Peter rolls his eyes again. “You know, you said something about me lacking romance but you’re just as bad.”

“I don’t care.” Johnny finally lets go of Peter a bit and moves his head until they’re right in front of each other. “I’ve been patient. Now I wanna smooch it up.”

“Such a poet.” Peter rolls his eyes as he snuggles his nose up against Johnny’s. “I mean, I would. I totally would, but…”

“But what?” Johnny looks at him with wide eyes. Peter smirks.

“But you’ve got morning breath.”

Johnny makes an affronted sound, pushing Peter away from him in annoyance. “Fuck off, I’m sleeping in.”

“Ah, c’mon, I was only joking.” Peter tugs at his shoulder to turn him back around but Johnny doesn’t budge. “Johnneeeeh!”

“No.”

“C’mon, Johnny. Johnny, Johnny, Johnny…”

“Not listening!”

Peter ignores him, still shaking him at the shoulder. “Johnny, Johnny, Johnny, Johnny!”

At last, Johnny starts to laugh, though he tries very much to hide it as well. With his face pressed against the pillow Peter starts biting his shoulder before pretending to cry like a puppy, earning him a groan from Johnny’s side.

“Johnny?”

“Peter?” Johnny finally turns around, revealing his face again. He looks a bit amused, too.

He doesn’t answer. He just looks him in the eyes, holding his laughter for as long as he can. He fails when Johnny turns them around, coming to lie on top of him with all his weight. Peter lets out a soft ‘oof’, immediately trying to get him off of him.

“You’re too heavy for me!” Peter complains.

“You can literally lift a car if you want to, don’t be such a wuss.” Johnny lets his head drop next to Peters, pinning his arms down when Peter keeps on poking him.

“I cannot lift a car!”

“I’ve seen you do it! Stop lying!” Johnny pokes him in return. Then he licks his neck just to be an ass.

“Ew! Stop it! Disgusting!”

Johnny leans up with a playful smirk. “Disgusting, huh?” he asks. “How is it any different from this?”

Their lips are smashed together, making Peter burst out in laughter immediately. Johnny seems to decide to ignore it, though. He lets go of Peter’s arms, instead putting his hands on his middle as he deepens the kiss. Eventually, the laughter dies out and Peter gets more into it.

A knock on the door startles Peter enough to shove at Johnny to break them apart, only forgetting his strength and making the boy fall down on the floor. Johnny lets out a small shout of surprise as he drops.

“Peter!” he complains, right as the door opens. Entering the room is MJ who doesn’t seem too impressed with them.

“Guys, it’s like almost noon. Are we going to the beach or not?” she asks, pointing behind her where Peter can see Shuri already dressed in her swimwear. MJ is wearing a long t-shirt on top, along with flipflops.

“Uh, sure,” Peter mutters. He sits up and holds his hand out to Johnny, who simply glares at him and _doesn’t_ accept his help. Little shit.

“You two weren’t having sex, were you?” Shuri asks playfully. MJ snorts, while Johnny closes his eyes and rubs his forehead. Yeah, so, this is a bit awkward now, isn’t it? Especially as he tries to avoid looking at Peter in return, pulling the sheets down to cover himself up.

Peter shouldn’t be surprised; it’s not because Peter doesn’t get excited that quickly the same goes for Johnny. Johnny, who has an obvious red blush on his cheeks and seems to try all he can not to look back at Peter.

“No, Shu, we weren’t having sex,” Peter sighs before giving her a small glare.

“If you weren’t having sex there’s no reason for you to still be in bed. Get your asses up ‘cause we’re leaving in ten!”

MJ winks at them. Then she closes the door, leaving the two of them alone once more. Johnny stays on the ground for a moment longer, while Peter gets up. She’s right; there’s no reason for them to stay in if they had planned to go to the beach. To be fair, Peter kinda forgot about it.

“We goin’?” he asks Johnny as he heads to his suitcase and takes out his swimming wear.

“Yeah… Mind just… givin’ me a minute?”

Peter turns around, raising his eyebrow and giving him an unimpressed glare.

“Hey, I’m no saint.” Johnny forces a grin, tough it doesn’t seem as confident. Still, Peter takes his swimsuit and takes off his shirt.

“If you wanna do that stuff, you better head to the bathroom,” he counters.

“Oh, c’mon, with those two in the hallway? I’m never gonna hear the end of it!” Johnny gets up, dropping the blanket and making Peter turn away with an eyeroll. “Please?”

Peter groans again as he grabs his swimming trunk. “Fine, I’ll go to the bathroom. But just because I’m gonna put these on where you can’t see me.” He holds up his swimwear and walks to the door.

“I mean, I wouldn’t mind catching a view of that.”

And this is the point right here; Johnny is used to being a tease like this. He makes sexual jokes because he’s very confident about himself. But Peter’s not the same way. And it must show on his face because Johnny’s face falls almost instantly.

“Right, sorry, didn’t mean to-“ 

“Stop being an idiot and get going, or they’ll leave without us.” Peter quickly hurries back to Johnny, who has finally gotten up from the ground. He gives him a quick peck on the cheek, followed by a wink. Then he exits the room, finding the hallway empty. Still, he doesn’t point it out to Johnny. Time to get changed, after all.

The sun is shining brightly, a warm breeze passing over their skins. The waves aren’t too high, which seems to disappoint Johnny a bit as he drops his surfboard next to their stuff and instead goes for a dive with Wanda, Vision, Harry and Liz.

Hanging out at the beach is good. Really good. They’re the only ones here – good thing about living near the sea: a private beach! Shuri, Ned and Betty are busy creating what seems like a fort made out of sand. Somebody even made the joke of calling up Sandman to get his help, but Peter had barely been paying attention so he has no idea who said it.

“So, how’s it goin’?” 

Peter had been reading on his beach chair for a bit. He looks up from the book he’s got on his lap, finding MJ looking down at him with her hands on her hips.

“Good. How about you?”

MJ shrugs. “Just fine,” she returns. Then she pulls another chair closer to his and sits down on it as well. “Though I am a bit worried about you.”

“Worried about me?” Peter frowns. He puts down his book, lowers his sunglasses a bit and turns to face her. “Why would you be worried? I’m completely fine?”

“Because of that joke Shuri made this morning. About you and Johnny.” She crosses her arms and looks back at Shuri who lets out an excited laugh and pokes Ned with her little shovel. It seems like she’s having an awful lot of fun.

“Em,” Peter sighs. He leans back in his chair, dropping his book on his lap while he tries to maintain eye-contact with his friend. “I’m not going to burst out in tears anytime somebody mentions sex to me. I don’t mind sex, I just don’t like having it shoved down my throat by society.”

MJ nods. “Like in the movies and shows… It’s not easy to avoid lately.” She grimaces at that. “I suppose I overreacted. I just don’t want you to… panic about it. It’s perfectly normal for you two to have sex, you know?”

Peter rolls his eyes. “It hasn’t even been a month…”

MJ shrugs. “People do it in far less time,” she points out.

“Yeah, well, not me.” _Not if I can help it,_ he thinks to himself. His mind goes back to his first time with Felicia; he still can’t even remember it, only knowing about it thanks to the footage from the mask. Peter puts his arms around his legs. Then he rests his chin on his knees and clears his throat. “Now, can we stop talking about my sex-life?”

“If that’s what you want,” MJ starts going through her hair, putting it up in a messy bun before reaching for the sunscreen. “Can you do my back?”

“Don’t you have a girlfriend for that?” Despite his question, he still takes the bottle and pours a generous amount of sunscreen in his hand. Then he rubs it over MJ’s back, making sure that there’s no more white left on her skin.

“I mean, I would let her, but she’s been in the sand with her hands and I don’t exactly want a scrub along with it,” he gets in return. They both chuckle, looking at their two partners both having fun. Johnny is leaning over Harry as if he’s trying to tackle him. Liz seems to laugh so Peter’s not too worried.

When Johnny notices Peter looking at him he gestures for him to come up. Peter hesitates, sitting up again.

“Go to your man. I’ll guard your book.” MJ winks at him.

“You’re not going in?” Peter asks.

“Maybe later. Gimme that book, I want to read.” Peter hands her his book and gets on his feet. He starts a quick jog until he gets to the sea. Feeling the cold water he hesitates only for a few seconds before deciding that the best way to get in is to just… do it.

Before Peter can take another step, though, he can see Johnny swimming back his way. He looks excited, the smirk on his face so full of joy. Peter stops to look at him, finding himself unable to turn away.

“Hey, you,” Johnny greets him as soon as he’s in hearing distance. Peter smiles back.

“Hey,” he returns. He startles when Johnny puts his wet hands on his hips, immediately flinching back to keep him away. “Cold!”

“Oh, come on. Don’t run away from me,” Johnny jokes. He grabs Peter’s arm and pulls him closer again. Keeping their faces right next to each other, Peter can hear him breathing through the waves of the sea. He closes his eyes, his hands on Johnny’s chest. Their mouths are close together, just a bit more and-

Suddenly he’s lifted from the ground. Johnny picked him up!

“Johnny!” Peter warns him as he sees himself approaching the sea once more. But no matter his shout of protest, Johnny doesn’t stop. Instead he even starts running, up until a point where he can’t run anymore.

There’s this playful glint in his eyes. Peter doesn’t trust it.

“Don’t you dare-!” Peter attempts to stare him down, to get him to drop him again. But Johnny simply winks.

That’s when he throws him into the water.

It’s getting late.

Wanda and Vision went out to the city, while MJ and Shuri are taking a walk along the beach. Peter can’t see them anymore, so he figures they’re quite a bit away from them now. Ned and Betty are headed back to the mansion to prepare dinner.

The sun is setting, meaning that it’s probably even too late to have dinner, but since they’ve barely eaten anything today it’s about time that they get their stomachs filled. After all, some cookies and crackers brought along do not count as a healthy dinner.

They only just came out of the water. Peter’s hair seems to be drying a bit quicker than Johnny’s, which doesn’t stop him from pulling on his small attempt of a bun.

“Hey!” Johnny protests before dropping his head back against Peter’s chest. His eyes stare right back into Peter’s. Then, with a smirk, he repeats; “Hey.”

“Hey.” Peter smirks. He leans down to peck him on the mouth.

“Awww, that’s adorable.” Peter shouldn’t be startled from hearing Liz next to him, but he still is. He may have kind of forgotten that she and Harry were still here.

“Shut up,” Peter mutters. Liz laughs it out, patting Peter on the shoulder twice before turning back to Harry.

They don’t really speak; after all, most of what they wanted to say has been said already today. Right now it’s just a moment of quiet; the sound of the waves and the seagulls flying over them. Peter looks up to the sky, seeing some of the clouds passing over them.

“I’m beat,” Johnny eventually admits. He presses his face against Peter’s belly and takes a deep breath. Peter chuckles, and so do Harry and Liz.

“You two should probably spend more time sleeping,” Harry jokes with a wink. Peter clears his throat awkwardly but attempts a chuckle.

“Ugh, I know. That last episode of the Fantastic Four series was a bad idea, but the show is just so hilariously inaccurate that I couldn’t stop watching. You know they wrote it as if I was an adult when I got my powers? Like they can’t handle the idea of a fifteen-year-old going into space.”

They laugh. It’s true; the Fantastic Four animated series is hilarious to watch on so many levels, starting with Johnny’s flame-shaped hair that doesn’t even come close to the new attempt of growing it out. But nonetheless, Peter likes Johnny’s hair. He barely thinks about it when he passes his fingers through it, though making a face when he realizes it’s all stiff from the seawater.

“Not that it comes close, but I was seventeen when I accidentally went into space,” Peter says.

“Aren’t we both rebels? Me following my sis, you following your old man. What were you even thinking, huh?”

“What were you thinking?” Peter tugs at his hair jokingly. Then, realizing what the conversation is about he quickly turns to the other couple next to them, only to find Liz asleep against Harry’s chest, the latter giving them an unimpressed stare.

“I mean if you no longer want a secret identity I suppose you could take an example from Tony and just reveal it to the world, you know?” Harry smirks then.

“I’ll… shut up.” When Johnny pats him against the cheek, his head now completely resting on Peter’s lap, Peter leans into the touch with his eyes closed. “Should we head back?”

There’s a collective sigh from the others. “Probably we should,” Harry agrees. He gently shrugs Liz awake again, the girl making a confused sound as she rubs her eyes. Carefully he helps her up, taking her hand and nodding back to the mansion above the cliff.

“We’ll be right behind you,” Johnny assures him when Harry seems to wait for them. The latter nods and starts walking with his girlfriend.

Peter’s aware of Johnny staring at him. Studying him. He tries to ignore it, but it’s pretty hard to do so when it’s almost as if his stare burns him – not in the literal sense but it comes close.

“What?” Peter eventually asks. They’ve still not made any moves to get up, despite telling Harry that they’d follow them.

“Are you awkward because you don’t like to talk about sex, or because you’re afraid that it’s going to bother _me_?”

Yeah, classic Johnny, just get straight to business. Peter groans.

“Can we not talk about this?” he almost begs. Johnny sits back up and turns around to face him.

“Babe, listen-“

“Babe?” Peter raises an eyebrow. Johnny rolls his eyes.

“Whatever. Listen; I know that probably everybody in this world is aware of my… sexual appetite. I’ve never tried to hide it. But I’ve also never tried to force that on somebody.” Johnny takes Peter’s hands into his own and squeezes his fingers. “Until you’re ready, I can manage on my own. Besides, last month we were still only best friends. It’s probably a bit hard for both of us to make that move.”

Peter sighs in relief. “I know, right? Two months ago the idea of even kissing you never came to mind. Look at us now.”

“I mean, the kissing could still use some work. I’m pretty sure I’ve caught you giggling again this morning.” Johnny sticks out his tongue playfully. Peter gasps.

“No way! I haven’t giggled since last week!”

“You literally laughed yesterday before we went to bed!”

“That was because you were tickling me! That doesn’t count!” Peter’s extremely ticklish and Johnny knows it! The fact that he’s bringing that up just means that he’s teasing him again. “Also, if there’s something that we need to discuss it’s your random use of the word ‘babe’. ‘BABE’? C’mon, Jo-“

“Babe is a perfectly fine pet name. You get to call me ‘Hotshot’ all the time, what do I get to call you, then?”

“Anything but ‘babe’,” Peter laughs. They finally get up on their feet. Peter shrugs the sand off of him, wiping it from his legs. Then he clears his throat and looks around. Seeing Johnny standing up as well he extends his arm to Johnny, who takes his hand without hesitation. They tangle their fingers together and start walking.

“Sweetie?”

“No.”

“Honey?”

“That’s what my dad says to Steve so… no.”

“Sugar?”

“Nu-uh.”

“I’m sticking with babe, then.”

“No you’re not”

“Yes I am.”

Hand in hand, they walk away from the beach. The sun is setting further into the horizon, the birds flying off to settle down for the evening.

It was a good day.

* * *

##  September 1st, 2025

“So, you wanna have sex?” Johnny asks. Peter looks up with a raised eyebrow.

“You’re joking, right?”

Color leaves Johnny’s face and he starts coughing.

“Of- of course. Heheh! Such a good joke! Anyway-“

“Hold up.” Peter shifts in his seat and puts his laptop aside. “Is this a thing we’re gonna do now?”

“What?”

“You’re gonna ask me once every few days if I want to have sex and hope that eventually I say yes?”

Johnny has his back turned to Peter as he starts taking out DVD-boxes and putting them in other places. “Is it going to work eventually?”

Peter hums as he thinks, noticing how Johnny turns around nervously.

“I don’t know. Keep trying.”

“Okay.” Johnny turns back around to continue distributing the DVD’s by genre.

A few seconds pass and Peter expects him not to bring it up again. He picks up his laptop and continues on his project.

“So you wanna have sex?”

“No.”

“Alright.”

They don’t mention it again.

That day, at least.

* * *

##  September 10th, 2025

“I hate the world.”

“Pete, they announced it would be the final season like ages ago, you knew this would happen?”

Peter has his face pressed against his mattress. He’s still in his pajamas, never having bothered to get dressed today. They can’t blame him, he didn’t have class today and with Johnny over at his apartment in Massachusetts this day was branded ‘lazy day” early on.

“I don’t care. I don’t have to like it.”

Johnny chuckles as he strokes Peter’s back. Then he kisses the back of his neck and hugs him, as awkwardly as it is possible in this position.

“Are you genuinely this upset about the show? Or is there something else bothering you, babe?” he asks with his head right next to Peter’s, who sighs in defeat and turns onto his back to finally look at Johnny. The other looks surprised, though happy that there seems to be a reaction from him.

“It’s not just the show – I mean, I’m upset about it, but…”

“But the reason you haven’t left this bed today isn’t because of that, huh?” Johnny leans down with his head on his hand. He plucks on the sheets, his eyes never leaving Peter’s while he waits for him to continue.

“It’s this whole thing with my meds…” Peter sighs loudly. “It’s like every part of me is telling me that I wasn’t ready to stop taking them, that I’m going to ruin this with you by just being gloomy all the time. That you’re gonna hate me for being this down all the time. And it sucks.” Peter clears his throat, fighting back an upcoming tear with all that he has.

Johnny stays quiet for a moment. He just stares with wide eyes and a mouth dropped slightly open. Then he shuffles closer to Peter, takes his hand into his own and squeezes his fingers softly. When he’s close enough he lies down on his back and puts his head in Peter’s lap.

“I’m not going to hate you,” Johnny tells him with a wide smile on his lips. He puts a hand onto Peter’s cheek and just holds it there for a bit. “I think it’s, like, impossible to hate you. You’re like the opposite of hateable.”

“A lot of villains hate me,” Peter points out. Johnny rolls his eyes.

“Nah, they hate the wall-crawler Spider-Man who continuously talks their ears off with his witty and clever puns. But if they were to meet Peter Parker, they would love you in an instant.” Johnny puts his hand behind Peter’s head and pulls him down to kiss his lips gently. Peter bends forward without trouble.

“You’re sure you don’t mind me being gloomy from time to time?” Peter asks again for assurance.

“Of course not!” Johnny sits back up and takes Peter’s hands into his own. “Babe, we knew from the beginning that these pills weren’t a wonder-solution. They weren’t going to ‘fix’ you, they were just going to help your body realize that it’s possible to be happy.”

Peter blinks up at him, feeling something heavy yet pleasant in his heart.

“And now your body _knows_ it can be happy. So you don’t need them anymore. Now it’s your body’s turn to stand up for itself.”

Peter smiles. “You know, you’re strangely good at this.”

“Of course I am.” Johnny winks. “I’m good at everything.”

“Everything, huh?”

“Yeah, you should see me in bed. It’s gonna drive you speechless.”

Peter rolls his eyes.

“One breakthrough at a time, dreamboat.”

“Hey, hey, hey, this wasn’t me asking for sex tonight. It was just me giving you something to look forward to in the- hmpf.”

Peter shuts him up with a kiss.

* * *

##  September 14th, 2025

“Sex?”

“Still no. But don’t give up.”

“Whatever. I’m going to take a shower. You shouldn’t come in there unless you’re planning to join.”

“Tell your hand I said hi.”

“Sure thing, babe.”

“Urgh.”

* * *

##  September 23rd, 2025

He’s not entirely sure whose idea it was to go to Comic Con dressed as their superhero-selves. It could have been MJ’s, but it might as well have been Shuri’s.

In any way, Peter wouldn’t have expected this edition to be him in just his work-outfit. That being the old Spider-Man suit he made with his Dad back before the man even knew it was him. Better to take an older version, and the good thing about it is that the suit adjusts itself to his size.

Johnny is there as a more comic-like version of himself, wearing an obnoxious wig and keeping this creepy grin that almost matches the joker’s. MJ, not having a superhero alter-ego is out as Captain Marvel – to be fair it didn’t take Peter a lot of effort to convince Carol to get MJ a suit. Shuri, on the other hand, has a Black Panther suit that is literally a version of T’Challa’s suit, but for women instead.

Of course Ned is joining them, and of course he’s Spider-Man as well. Peter even borrowed him one of his suits. Ned was obviously very happy.

There aren’t a lot of people next to that; it’s just them this time around. No Harry, no Liz. Wanda and Vision didn’t want to come along. Yaël wished she could have joined but she thought bringing her kid along would be a bad idea – and Peter tends to agree. Raido doesn’t really like crowded spaces; makes him act out on a more magical level that could startle the standard child.

“So, we’re ready for this?” Ned asks enthusiastically. He didn’t bring Betty along this time, and Peter’s almost afraid to ask if they broke up again. Not that it had bothered Ned so much the last time since they split as friends, but it still sucks to be single again after such a while.

“Totally,” Johnny agrees, striking a superhero pose. Peter rolls his eyes, though nobody can see it underneath the mask. MJ throws an arm over his shoulder and holds up her hand.

“I’m very ready!” she agrees. Shuri, too, grins widely.

“Yes!”

“Alright, let’s go!”

It’s not their first comic con. Not by far. But it’s the first time any of them thought of dressing up. Before it was just them in ordinary clothes wanting to meet their favorite celebrities. This year they wanted to shake things up a bit so Ned had suggested a group cosplay. But while he had obviously expected them to go as an actual group from a movie, MJ – or probably somebody else – thought it would be funny to just show up in their actual costumes.

The thing is, appearing at comic con as Peter Parker isn’t that special. Appearing there, supposedly cosplaying as Spider-Man is almost mind-blowing. He’s constantly stopped for pictures, fans with cheaper versions of his suit or even some home-made excitedly asking for him to pose with them. Of course, Peter always says yes. He even would if anybody would ask him on the street, but not many people dare to do it.

At one point Peter even takes off the mask. It feels weird to walk around here in suit but unmasked. Yet the only stares he gets is from people who seem baffled at how life-like his costume is.

“You’re quite the hit, babe,” Johnny eventually jokes.

“Babe?” Shuri asks in amusement.

“Don’t ask.” Peter rolls his eyes and wraps his arms around Johnny’s shoulders. “Also, can you finally take off that wig? It looks horrible.”

“But it’s accurate!” Johnny mocks, though he does rip that infernal thing off his head and throws it away somewhere behind him. Peter barely looks at it, he’s just glad that it’s gone.

“Much better,” he sighs happily. He embraces him, putting his head against Johnny’s chest and taking a deep breath. “There’s a lot of people here.”

“True,” Johnny agrees. He presses his face into Peter’s hair and holds him close. “You want out?”

“Just for a few minutes or so. Do you mind?”

“Not at all.” Johnny pulls away, though keeps his arm around Peter’s shoulder. “Pete and I are gonna catch some air. We’ll text you when we come back.”

The others hold up their thumbs and continue walking as Peter guides Johnny back outside without letting go of his hand. They’re still stopped once or twice for a picture.

“I mean, it’s really an out-of-the-box-idea to cosplay as Human Torch and Spider-Man as boyfriends, but does that mean that you’re one of those theorists that Spidey is actually Stark’s son?” one of the con-goers asks, dressed in an Iron Man onesie.

“Yeah, totally! Are there more people thinking this?” Johnny plays along enthusiastically, while Peter frowns at him in confusion. Why would he go along with that?

“There’s a whole community about it,” the guy says, handing over a little card, with it written the link to a website called ‘SpiderStark Theory’. “Be a part of our community if you want to! You can read some interesting facts here!”

Johnny, of course, takes the card and takes a bow. “Thank you, Iron Man,” he says kindly.

“Again, amazing costumes. And I can understand why you would want to be Johnny Storm; you really look like him! Are those your real eyes or are they contacts?”

“They’re contacts. My eyes are brown,” Johnny lies. Then he pulls Peter’s mark off and leans his head above his. “Much like my boyfriend’s here. Doesn’t he look amazing?”

Iron-Man onesie chuckles and nods. “He sure does. Hey, do you want me to take a picture of the two of you together?”

“Uhm, yeah?! That’s a great idea, isn’t it, babe?” Johnny throws his arms around Peter’s shoulder and looks at him. The urge to ask him what he’s doing fades away the moment their eyes meet again. Peter lets out an exasperated breath.

“Sure. Here’s my phone.” Peter hands the boy the device, seeing him widen his eyes enthusiastically as he takes it.

“Dude, is that the latest Stark Phone that only released like yesterday? How did you already get a crack in the screen?” He looks it over like he’s never seen one of them before. Peter clears his throat. He hadn’t yet told his father that his brand-new phone already needed a screen replacement. He’s probably going to wait a few months for it, or he’ll change it himself without even telling him.

“Yeah, butterfingers,” Peter jokes awkwardly. When the kid holds up the phone to start taking the picture Peter quickly puts the mask back on. They pose for a couple of times, until Johnny eventually gets the idea to act out the so-called ‘Spider-Man kiss’ that had been introduced in that one movie about him, but Peter truthfully never really acted out.

“I mean, sure, but how are you going to get me to hang upside down?” Peter grits out at his boyfriend. Johnny shrugs, pointing out the handrail of the upper deck that gives a bit of a view of the con. Peter frowns at it before turning back. He doesn’t even word his disbelief, he’s pretty sure Johnny can read it in him.

“C’mon, you’re like an acrobat! You can do it on a swing, you can do it here,” Johnny says happily. “Now, cm’on, get up there and hang upside down, you sexy thing!”

When he gets a soft slap on the ass Peter rolls his eyes and pulls at his hair. He still does what Johnny asks, going up the stairs until he’s at the top. Then he hangs over the railing with his knees hooked over them. If Johnny really wanted a picture like this they could just have asked MJ to take it in a secluded alleyway or something.

Once he’s hanging upside down, Johnny’s face is right before his. “Hey,” he greets him, keeping his hands up like Spider-Man would.

“Hey,” Johnny returns. “Alright, let’s do this!”

Stuart, the Iron man kid, holds up Peter’s phone. He’s ready to take the shot, though Peter’s sure he’s already taken some. He’s aware that some other people with cameras are joining them. Peter’s cheeks heat up, and that’s not just because he’s hanging upside down. To be fair, he’s kind of glad that he’s wearing a mask.

Though that doesn’t last long. Johnny pulls up the mask, though not completely. Only until his mouth is freed, which is honestly not really the most comfortable way to keep it.

“You okay?” Johnny asks. Peter chuckles nervously.

“Of course,” he agrees. “Just gonna kiss you in front of all these people.”

Johnny snorts, then. “We kissed in front of thousands of people, on _live TV_ , might I add. This should be nothing.” He puts his hands on Peter’s face and leans forward to press their lips together. Peter just closes his eyes and tries to pretend that it’s just the two of them.

Kissing is going better now, after all. He should enjoy it rather than panicking about it. So Peter leans further into it, simply keeping on imagining that all the other people aren’t there.

Eventually Johnny pulls away his mask completely. He gives him a small grin before continuing. This is probably lasting so long that all the others surely must be walking away, or be at least a bit uncomfortable, but Johnny keeps on going. It’s when Peter mutters something about feeling the blood rise into his head that they finally pull apart.

He’s surprised when he sees that even more people have joined them with their cameras up. If this weren’t a comic con where people pose for pictures all the time, he might have found it disturbing, but seeing that this might as well have been an act for two different characters, he figures it’s probably not that bad.

Peter pulls himself back up from the railing. He takes a deep breath – he really needs that fresh air now – and goes back down the stairs to rejoin Johnny who gratefully takes Peter’s phone back from Stuart. Some other people with their cameras even hand him their card so they can find the picture again later.

Johnny thanks them all. By the time Peter’s next to him, most of them have already walked off again, which is just fine. Peter then grabs Johnny by the arm, giving him a pointed look.

“Outside?” he asks. Johnny nods.

“Yeah, let’s go,” he agrees.

Hand in hand they head to their original destination, where the two look to find a secluded spot and use the opportunity to hide themselves away on the roof of the building.

* * *

##  October 1st, 2025

“Pete?”

Peter looks up the aisle, finding Johnny on the other side as he takes out a new box of cookies to add to the cart.

“Yes?” he asks, smiling at his boyfriend through the separation of food and whatever there’s on Johnny’s side.

“Sex tonight?” Peter’s smile disappears immediately and he quickly looks around to see there’s nobody nearby. His heart is beating like crazy!

“Johnny, we’re at the store!” he hisses at him, a bit embarrassed and afraid anybody might hear them.

“Exactly! Now we’re here I need to know if I need to restock on anything.”

“Like what?!”

“You know, lube. Condoms. Maybe some of that massage oil. Oh, they have strawberry-flavor here. And chocolate! I love chocolate!”

“Johnny!” He freezes when an old woman comes passing by, though it doesn’t seem like she’s following the conversation at all.

“Okay I don’t care if you wanna have sex tonight or not, I’m buying these, they look amazing. And delicious.”

Peter sighs and closes his eyes. “Whatever you want, you ass.”

And while he pretends to be annoyed at his boyfriend’s lack of filter, Peter can’t help that fond feeling at the thought of Johnny being so eager to buy something chocolate-flavored. Even if it’s lube.

* * *

##  October 31st, 2025

It always comes unexpected, though Peter’s never too surprised whenever it comes. They can be watching a movie with some steamy scenes and Johnny’s good to go. They can just both be reading or just doing nothing can sometimes also be enough.

He figures making out is reason enough for Johnny to pop the question once again.

He can’t blame him at all. To be fair, he’s feeling a bit hot as well with Johnny leaning over him, his fingers gripping his hair tightly

“Shit, Pete,” Johnny had muttered at him against his mouth.

“Yeah?” Peter asks, though he already knows where Johnny’s going to go with this. He can’t help it, his mind is thinking only about that as well. Especially when Johnny’s hips grind up further against Peter’s. He’s out of breath – they both are.

“You wanna-?” he starts asking. Before he can finish the sentence, Peter interrupts him.

“Yeah.” He’s surprised by the certainty in his answer. To be honest, he’s not as certain as he sounds. He’s terrified, beyond belief!

“Yeah?” Johnny pulls away in surprise, used to hearing nothing but ‘no’ from Peter, who nods in affirmation. He bites his lower lip nervously.

“Yeah,” Peter repeats.

“You sure?”

“Yeah, of course!” That’s a lie. But the fact that he’s feeling a bit aroused because of this is making it hard to think straight. He should just let his brain relax, continue on his instincts rather than his theories. And his instincts tell him to just freaking go for it.

“Alright,” Johnny chuckles happily. He leans back and pulls his shirt over his head. Without much grace he throws it down on the ground and crawls up to Peter once more. “I can’t believe we’re finally doing this.”

“Yeah, me neither,” Peter chuckles hesitantly. He puts his hands on Johnny’s cheeks and pulls his face closer to his just to keep him from talking. The more he says, the more Peter starts to think.

_Clear your mind, clear your mind._

They resume their kissing, only stopping once or twice as Johnny pulls Peter’s shirt off and throws it along on the ground. Peter’s heart is beating like crazy, his breath constantly catching. The more clothes they get off, the more nervous he’s getting. He tries to distract himself by stroking up and down Johnny’s arms, his back, his neck to the back of his head. And for a moment it works. Enough for him not to panic as Johnny opens up his pants through a heated kiss. Yeah, at one point having your boyfriend’s tongue down your throat would be distraction enough, but now it doesn’t seem to make the cut. Shit, no, he’s paying too much attention to it.

Shit, shit, shit, he’s thinking too hard.

The moment Johnny sinks his hand underneath Peter’s underwear he’s lost. He doesn’t think at all when he pushes Johnny away. The only thing he does is tucking himself back in, pulling up his pants and getting on his feet. Johnny remains on the bed, giving him a bewildered look.

“So you don’t wanna have sex?”

“No! I mean, yes- but…”

“It’s alright, Peter. I meant what I said back at the beach; I can wait for you to be ready.”

“But am I ever going to be? I mean, you keep on asking and asking and I know you have needs and what if one day your hand isn’t going to be enough? What if one day you’re tired of waiting for me? I know I’m tired of waiting for me to get my act together but I don’t know what to do I don’t want to lose you over something as stupid as sex but-“

“Pete.” Johnny gets on his feet as well and grabs Peter by the shoulders. Just by that he shuts him up long enough to get a word in himself. “I’m not going to run off to other people because you aren’t ready to have sex.”

“But-“

“No buts. I want to be with you. I knew what I was getting into the moment we’ve been together.” Johnny moves his hair out of his face and gives him a faint smile. “Now how about we just go watch a movie, huh? Clear our minds for a bit?”

Peter wants that, he really does. But right now he’s feeling too pent up. He needs to lose some of that anxiety. He casts a look to the side, noticing his suit on the floor there. Johnny notices it as well and lets out a sigh.

“Or you can go on patrol. That’s alright.”

Peter walks away from Johnny without a word. He takes his suit off the ground and puts it on wordlessly. Johnny watches him with a strange, probably hurt look on his face.

“I’ll see you tomorrow?” Peter asks carefully.

“Yes.” It’s a quick, short assurance. Peter smiles at Johnny sadly before he opens up the window and jumps out of it.

That could have gone a lot better. Peter curses inwardly. He knew that going off the medication was gonna be a hard ride for the both of them, but at this point Peter seriously hates himself.

Poor Johnny…

* * *

##  November 1st, 2025

One would think that a visit to the cemetery shouldn’t be a family-outing, but the Stark-Rogers-Parker household do have made it a tradition to visit their deceased loved ones on this particular day.

It’s not that they put on a suit and dress up nicely for this; they’re not trying to make it into a bigger deal than it is. But breaking tradition wouldn’t go well to any of them, so they still head out, talking excitedly in the car-ride over and falling silent once they end up on the grounds of the church.

One time Peter had offered Felicia to join him. She had refused, told him that this was something he should do with his family. He hadn’t really liked it, but then again he couldn’t force her to come. This year, when, a few days ago, he suggested Johnny to come along he had agreed immediately.

“Sure, I would love to meet the rest of your family,” he had said kindly. They had been watching a movie together at Peter’s apartment in Massachusetts, cuddled up to one another with a finished box of pizza in front of them.

So it’s normal that, once they get out of the car, Johnny is standing there. He’s dressed in a dark blue shirt and black pants; looking casually formal – just the way Peter told him to dress.

“Hey,” he greets him awkwardly, his mind still stuck on yesterday. Johnny takes his hand and gives him a smile.

“Hey,” he returns with a small peck on the lips. He nods at Tony, Steve and gets a hug from May. Then, hand-in-hand with Peter they make their tour of the cemetery. They all greet Tony’s father, but after that Steve heads his own direction to see his friends from the war, while Tony tells his parents the update of the year.

Peter stays close, chuckling occasionally when the story calls for it. He’s pretty sure his Dad never really recovered from his parents’ death – who would? – but he’s dealing with it better and better each year.

After that they go to Peter’s parents and Uncle Ben. He knows that the bodies of his parents have never been found, that the baskets in the ground are just empty. He tries to ignore that as much as he can.

He tells his mother about the crazy things his Dad has done again in the past year. Tells his other dad how it’s going in MIT. To Uncle Ben, he talks about being Spider-Man without really saying the name just in case anybody would hear. They’re not the only ones here, after all.

He introduces them to Johnny, who stays quiet except for the small greeting he throws them. Looking at his boyfriend standing there so calmly, he wonders what they would have thought of him? Would his mother have found him funny? Would his dad have taken him to a ball game along with them? Would Uncle Ben warn him to take care of Peter? Things he’ll never know, but likes to imagine.

As May takes her time with Ben, Tony heads to the Jarvis’ graves to greet them. Peter decides to move on as well. Still holding Johnny’s hand, he guides him away from the others, taking that familiar path to the last stop he has to make.

“Where to next?” Johnny asks and Peter clears his throat.

“I want you to meet Gwen,” he returns.

Of course Johnny knows about Gwen, Peter’s told him all about her back when they were still roommates. He knows that Gwen’s the one that got taken away, Peter’s first love. The first person he lost because he became Spider-Man.

“Oh,” he says then, understanding how big this is. Peter never got to take Felicia to meet Gwen. He did bring MJ once, but they hadn’t been together then. It had just been because they were in the neighborhood.

“Okay?” Peter still asks in hesitation.

“Of course, Pete. I would be honored to meet Gwen.” Johnny squeezes his fingers and the two of them move forward. It’s not too hard to find it; Peter once spent every day there back when it had just happened.

There are fresh flowers put down on the stone; her family has been here already. Peter’s glad they’re already gone; he doesn’t know what he would have told them. He hasn’t spoken to any of them for years – at first it was just too painful for both sides, but now it’s just awkward. After all, he hadn’t really been friends with Gwen’s brothers.

“Hey G,” Peter greets her. He bites his lips together when he sees the dates on the stone. She had only been 15… It hurts every time he sees it. 15. So much had happened that year. Everything all at once. They met, fell in love, her dad died, they tried to go on, then she died. That year had just been a trainwreck, and he had come close to just hang up the suit and never put it on again.

“So this is Johnny. I’m sure you don’t know anything about him, he was pretty unknown back then. He’s like me. Not _like_ like me, he hasn’t been bitten by a spider. He can flame up. It’s pretty awesome.”

Johnny chuckles and squeezes his fingers again. “Hi Gwen,” he greets her. “I heard a lot about you.”

“Only the good things, I promise!”

“You’re insinuating that she had bad things to tell about,” Johnny jokes. Peter laughs as well.

“Everybody has bad things. We’re not gonna pretend we were all saints, right?” Peter turns to Gwen’s grave, and where he would once have imagined her answering, this time there’s only silence.

“What’s my bad thing?” Johnny smirks at him, baiting him on.

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” Peter pats him on the cheek. Then he clears his throat. “Anyway, I just wanted you to meet him. Because you were right. I know it’s been a few years ago that you said that it never hurt to try – remember? With that guy back at Stark Industries? Leopold? Leonard? It was something with an L at least, I don’t really know. And I had been freaking out because he gave me his number?”

“Did you ever call him?” Johnny asks. Peter shakes his head.

“Nah, never had any interest in him,” he admits. “Besides, I was in the middle of that whole ‘Tony Stark is my Dad-business’ so dating wasn’t exactly my top priority.”

“Good, I like the fact that I’m the first guy you’ve been with.” Johnny kisses him on top of the head and lets go of Peter’s hand to put them over his shoulder instead.

“I’m glad for you.” Peter puts his head on Johnny’s shoulder and just stays there for a moment. Above them the clouds are coming up slowly, indicating an impending rainfall. They’re not exactly dressed to stay outside for that, and while Johnny can keep himself warm, Peter can’t.

It works for a moment, too. To just imagine that nothing happened, that they skipped Halloween altogether and just went from the 30th of October to the 1st of November. But that’s not the case.

“Hey, I’m sorry…” Peter sighs awkwardly.

“For what?”

So that’s how he’s going to play it. Peter closes his eyes and curses inwardly. “For running out on you yesterday. We could have talked but…”

“But this whole thing with your meds is making you do stupid things. I already knew that.” Johnny kisses the top of his head and holds him closer. “It’s alright, Babe. I know you don’t mean anything by it. I should have stopped asking like that a while ago.”

“We okay?”

“We always are.”

They continue talking to Gwen for almost an hour, until the first raindrop starts falling. That’s when they say goodbye for now and all huddle back into the car. And the rest of the day, Johnny stays at the tower playing video games with Peter. He doesn’t ask him the question anymore in the following days, weeks.

* * *

##  December 14th, 2025

“FRI told me you were here. What’s up, kiddo?”

Peter looks up from the magazine he’d been reading. It’s an old issue about Tibet and some other stuff that he’s barely paying attention to, but the images are kind of nice to look at. When he sees his Dad entering the penthouse wearing a dark suit he figures he must have come back from the office.

“Nothing much. Wanted to say hi,” he admits, giving him a light smile. Tony takes off his vest and puts it on the coat rack before heading to the kitchenette and taking out something to drink.

“Sure you did. That’s why you travelled all the way here from Massachusetts. What’s going on, trouble with MJ again?” Tony’s smirking, so Peter knows he’s just messing with him.

“No, you know MJ and I aren’t together anymore, right?”

“Right, it’s Felicia now, isn’t it?” Now Peter rolls his eyes, turning back around and pretending to continue reading the magazine.

“No, I broke up with Felicia almost two years ago, in case you forgot about that, too,” he returns.

“You did?” Tony feigns surprise. “Huh, how about that.” Peter can hear him approach, so he’s not too surprised when his father sits down next to him. He stays quiet for a bit, just looking at Peter as he drinks from his glass. It feels strange to have him so silent for such a long time. Usually his father speaks continuously.

Means that he’s no longer joking around.

“There’s something on your mind, isn’t there?” Tony asks. Peter lets out a long breath, dropping his magazine once more as he throws his head back. This is the most embarrassing thing he’s ever about to have, but if he’s entirely fair he’s not too sure who else he has to approach for this. He doesn’t know that many… _gay_ people.

“How’d you tell?” he wonders.

“Uh how about those tense shoulders and that intense look in your eyes. Now c’mon, what’s bothering you sport?” Tony throws an arm over the back of the couch, lifting a leg up as he turns to Peter. A clear indication that he’s going to listen without interjecting by adding stupid remarks.

Yet Peter still hesitates. Is he mentally prepared to have this conversation? He tried having it with May last night but even she admitted to be out of her debt there. The same thing goes for Ned, while Harry’s advice was a simple ‘Just do it’. Asking Johnny is out of the question given that he’s the one this is all about.

There’s still Steve, though, but he knows that if he asks him before he asks Tony, his dad will surely take that personally.

“Peter?”

Peter sighs again, finally putting the magazine back on the table as he, too, turns onto the couch until he’s facing Tony. Then takes another deep breath through his nose, unable to look him into the eyes. He can almost feel Tony getting nervous where he’s seated.

“When did you- uh…” he stops, hesitant about how he’s going on about this. “How- when did you realize you were ready for-“

“Peter you’re not making any sense. Is this about Johnny?”

Peter almost jumps up. “Yes!” he shouts before feeling his cheeks heat up as he sinks back in on himself. “Uh, I mean… yeah. It’s just- it’s been a while now and I know he’s ready an- I dunno, maybe I am too but I’m never sure when it comes to those kinds of things because of how I am and-“

Tony stops him by putting a hand on his shoulders, pulling Peter out of his rambling train of spoken thought. And it’s not like Peter would have expected Tony to treat it like a joke, yet he’s still incredibly surprised at how calm he currently is.

“You want to know how I knew I was ready to have sex with Steve?”

Burgh, it sounds so disgusting when he puts it out there like that. Peter shivers before nodding.

“Okay, listen, I know listening to your old man and his… activities isn’t exactly the highest thing on your to-do list. But I need you to realize that having sex is human. After all, that’s how you were made.”

Peter shivers again, shaking his head and making a face. “Please don’t remind me.”

“Peter, if you want to have an adult conversation about this you need to be open to listen to what I’m going to say. If it bothers you much to imagine me as your father telling you this, imagine me as a friend; a teammate. Otherwise having this conversation will be very short and not all that helpful.”

“You’re right,” Peter admits in defeat. He closes his eyes willing his mind down as it’s going in overdrive.

The thing is, other than with Gwen and Felicia he’s never really had sex. Not even with MJ, which might surprise his friends if he’d tell them – which he won’t because he doesn’t talk about that sort of thing. Perhaps that’s exactly the problem here. And of course there’s that one drunken night that is never mentioned again. Better that he doesn’t remember anything about that particular moment in his life.

“Was- Was Steve the first man you’d been with?” Peter tries. Tony smiles shortly before shaking his head.

“No,” he admits. “Granted, he’s the first man I’ve been in an actual relationship with, yes, but he was not the first man I’d slept with.” Tony looks up towards the door, as if he’s expecting Steve to come walking right through.

“When was your first time, then?” Keep an open mind. Keep an open mind! This is harder than it should be.

“I dunno, I was about… I’m not sure about my age but I was somewhere at MIT. But it’s a very bad example because I’d been drunk and probably high as well, and there aren’t many memories about it…” Tony presses his lips into a thin line as he looks up to think. “I remember my second time, though. A guy named Will, a couple of years older than me – not difficult since I was the youngest around there. There was just this… spark and we hit it off in the sheets, but he graduated after that and I hadn’t seen him since.”

That’s not exactly helpful if he’s honest. Maybe he _should_ have asked Steve…

“But the thing you want to know is not about my first time with a man – it’s about my first time with a man I actually love.” Peter blinks in confusion. It sounds right, maybe, but at the same time he’s not too sure that’s exactly what he meant? This whole conversation probably should never have happened in the first place.

“We had been waiting,” Tony then starts. “You know when we got together; the timing wasn’t all that ideal with everything that happened during it. But we were stubborn, decided to keep trying. And eventually a couple of months passed and we were still together”

Tony sighs as he turns back, his eyes now planted on the window with the view on the city. It’s dark and cloudy this evening. He’s not exactly itching to go on patrol tonight. After all, there’s enough heroes wandering around the city lately.

“I didn’t know yet that I loved him back then. Or maybe I knew but I hadn’t admitted it to myself yet. The whole accords were about to happen so I was mostly distracted. But that evening when he came home, so clearly lost… I saw him so vulnerable for the first time and suddenly it came to me; I love him. This was a man, right here, that I wanted to protect. To keep from being so lost and sad. This was a man I wanted to make happy for maybe the rest of my life if he’ll have me.”

Peter finds himself hanging on to every word his father is telling him.

“Son, to me this wasn’t how I knew I was ready to do it with a man – it’s was about how I knew I could open myself up, bare my own weaknesses and insecurities to another person that I loved.”

“But wasn’t it- awkward? You were friends for a long time, weren’t you?”

Tony chuckles. “I can’t tell you about that part; I suppose it would feel weird for me if I were to suddenly be with Rhodey after being his friend for that long. Steve and I weren’t _that_ close before. We didn’t share our secrets, we weren’t the first we’d go to if we had problems. To be fair we couldn’t even stand each other in the beginning.”

Peter chuckles along with him. Now Tony reaches out to squeeze his shoulder once more.

“Son, it’s okay if it’s awkward. You’re testing new waters with a guy you’ve been calling one of your best friends for years now. That first time is just… maybe it’s just doomed to be awkward; it’s a start, after all. But you can grow accustomed to one another, figure out what the other likes. It’s not like in all those movies and TV-shows. It’s not so straightforward. It took Steve and I a couple of tries before we found something we’re both comfortable with.”

Peter bits back another shiver before nodding. He can’t help but smile, anyway. Despite what he’d been expecting, his Dad actually gave him some solid advice. It’s a bit insane.

“Now I know you’ve already had _the talk_ , but I’m very extra sure that you haven’t had the _gay talk_.”

“Okay, I’m leaving now,” Peter mutters getting back on his feet and grabbing his coat from the couch. He’s at the door before Tony can say anything else. “Bye, Dad, tell Steve ‘hi’ from me, okay?”

“Just don’t forget about a condom!” Tony calls out. And then before Peter can close the door he adds: “And use enough lube otherwise it’s going to hurt!”

Yeah, no, Peter’s not going into that territory. This whole discussion has been hell enough. He starts walking back to the elevator when he suddenly stops. A small wave of shame goes through him and he turns back, re-opening the door.

“Hey, Dad?” he calls out. Tony’s still on the couch, looking at his phone. He hums to indicate that he’s listening. “Uh, thanks for… you know… that.”

Now Tony raises his head, giving Peter a light smile. “You’re welcome, kiddo,” he assures him. Then another playful smirk goes onto his lips. “But I’m serious about that lube- you can never have enough.”

Peter rolls his eyes. “Bye!” After that, he makes his way out of the building.

* * *

##  December 15th, 2025

Peter is silent as he sneaks inside. He can hear the TV is on, Johnny is on the couch scrolling on his phone rather than watching the movie that is playing. With his free hand he’s messing around with some fire, sparking it up and then making it disappear again. That guy’s such a fire hazard.

With silent steps Peter nears the couch. His backpack is still hanging over his shoulder so he drops it without making any noise. Then, one he’s right behind Johnny he leans forward until his face is right next to his.

“Hey,” he greets him, kissing him gently on the cheek. Johnny startles so hard he nearly headbutts Peter, his phone falling on his legs and his elbow only barely missing Peter’s face.

“Dude!” Johnny complains, chuckling when he realizes who it is. He smiles lazily, approaching Peter to peck him in return.

Sometimes it’s still weird, the idea of kissing Johnny when a couple years back they had the discussion that this would probably never happen. There are times where Peter’s still not sure how it came to happen. Not that he’s regretting it, of course. He likes Johnny, after all. Which is why he deepens the kiss for a few seconds before pulling back.

“You know you’re going to set this whole apartment on fire if you keep going like that,” Peter warns him – again. He jumps over the back of the couch, dropping down right next to Johnny. He shoves off his shoes, twisting around until he’s leaning against Johnny. With his legs hanging over the edge, he lies back down onto Johnny’s legs. The other man reaches down to fumble with his hair.

“I surely will if you keep on surprising me like that, asshole,” Johnny jokes. Peter rolls his eyes, reaching for his face to gently shove it aside. Johnny laughs.

“What are you watching?” Peter turns his head, trying to catch the reel on the TV. Watching sideways isn’t exactly the way to go, but he’s too lazy to move. Besides, he’s good like this.

“Uh, I think it’s some House MD reruns? I recognized Hugh Laurie at least.” Johnny shrugs. His other hand, the one not in Peter’s hand, comes to rest onto Peter’s chest. It doesn’t move, just stays there. Peter then puts his own on top of it, catching the slight twitch in Johnny’s lips as he attempts to hold back a smile.

They try to watch the show for a bit but Peter’s not really invested into it. He’s seen them all, so it’s not like he’s missing something. Besides, with his eyes on the TV he’s not focused on the more important thing in the room.

So he turns his head again, eyes moving up to Johnny who suddenly seems extremely focused on the show. He’s got this intense look in his blue eyes. His blonde hair is getting longer again, having reached the length to get it back into a bun. Peter likes it that way, but a while back it got burnt off when he hadn’t been paying attention and Sue cut it all off.

Johnny’s got a sheepish, though adorable grin. When he smiles he usually shows all his teeth, which are nearly perfect due to the braces he used to wear when he was a kid. Peter’s seen the little metal wire behind his front teeth, after all, and it’s all he can do to try not to imagine him with that metalwork in his mouth.

He can’t help but smile at the thought. Johnny glances down before rolling his eyes.

“What’s got you so smirky, jerkface?” Johnny asks. He pokes Peter in the side, causing for the other man to laugh it out loud as he curls into himself to get protection from the assault.

“Aah! Nothing!” He still laughs, feeling himself get breathless while trying to avoid further pokes from Johnny. “Please, please stop!”

“Not until you tell me what you’re laughing about,” Johnny counters playfully. Peter cackles out another laugh, trying to keep Johnny’s hands away.

“Never!” Peter insists.

“Oh, nothing, huh?” Johnny crawls out from under Peter, suddenly towering over him as he continues to poke him into his side before getting him right underneath the armpits. Peter’s weakness. He almost screams it out in laughter. Peter shakes his head, still trying to get Johnny off from him but at the same time not trying too hard. This is all fun and games, after all.

“You gonna tell me now, dreamboat?” Johnny is leaning his face closer to Peter’s, the two of them halting their battle against each other for a second. And in that second, Peter reaches up his hands until they’re on Johnny’s cheeks.

“I’m taking it to my grave,” Peter whispers against his lips before smashing his mouth against them. Johnny makes a small surprised stop but he goes with it, his hands moving until they’re next to Peter rather than at his weak spots. When they pull apart they only look at each other for a couple if seconds, no word spoken.

“I’ll get it out of you eventually,” Johnny assures him. Peter chuckles.

“Good luck trying, hotman,” he counters. Then he leans forward, capturing Johnny’s lips once more and kissing them carefully.

“I got that reference.” It’s whispered against Peter’s mouth and the air tickles. Peter smiles, pushing Johnny’s head to the side again before he gets back on his feet. Then he stretches, aware of how his belly is showing when his shirt moves up with it. He’s purposely not looking at Johnny as he walks away from the couch.

“Is Ned here today?” he asks.

“Nah he’s at work,” Johnny admits. “He almost lives there. I don’t think he’ll be here much more. Might need to find a new roommate since my old one’s not coming back.”

“You say that, yet I’m here,” Peter puts his hands on his hips, staring Johnny down.

“Yeah but even if you’re here there’s still an empty bed that can be rented,” Johnny counters. Peter laughs.

“Oh, well, if you put it that way,” he admits. Then he grabs the remote control from the table, turning off the TV without warning Johnny.

“Hey I was-“

“You weren’t. Now c’mon.” Peter holds out his hand for Johnny to take, the latter rolling his eyes but obeying nonetheless. Peter helps him up on his feet, not letting go but rather tangling their fingers together as he moves to the door that leads to Johnny’s bedroom.

“What are you doing, Peter?” Johnny asks when Peter closes up behind him. He lets go of Johnny at last, leaning back against the wall as he eyes his boyfriend. His heart is racing, his mind telling him that this is the moment he should get out of here.

But he knows he shouldn’t. Because on the other hand he also kind of wants this. In a way that he wouldn’t have expected. After all, he’s never been good at these sorts of things.

“What are you waiting for?” Peter asks suggestively, raising his eyebrows while staring down Johnny who just seems confused.

“I don’t know what you’re expecting of me, though,” Johnny admits. Peter pushes himself off the wall, approaching Johnny and grabbing the hem of his white t-shirt.

“I’m expecting these on the ground,” Peter whispers against his mouth before kissing him again. Johnny’s hands automatically move to Peter’s hips, nearly squeezing them in his nerves.

“You serious?” the other boy asks. Of course he’s aware of the way Peter is; how he shouldn’t easily expect Peter to initiate this unless he’s ready for it. To be fair, he doesn’t really feel ready. But he knows that he kind of sort of wants this.

“Like you wouldn’t believe,” Peter admits. He then pulls at Johnny’s shirt until it comes off, raising it over his head and then throwing it across the room without further care. Once his hands are on Johnny’s chest he’s once again startled at how hot he feels at the touch. It’s exceptionally handy during the winter, but in the summer was a bit too much. Still, despite that, Peter’s never ran out of the bed from the heat. So far, that is.

Their faces are close, constantly near-kissing but never actually reaching. Johnny moves with such a tenderness, as if he’s afraid to do too much. Afraid that he’ll scare Peter off again. The first time he tried to initiate sex Peter had literally run out of the room. They’d barely been together back then so nobody can blame him for that. Johnny hadn’t taken it too personal. Peter simply explained the way he is, that he needs a bit more to build on before he can really _want_ to have sex with him.

Johnny’s been with men before. Peter knows that; he’s been his roommate for years, after all. While it’s obvious that the guy’s got a preference for the female sex, there have been occasions where the voice accompanying him would have been male rather than belonging to a woman.

Oh, yeah, right. They’re about to have sex and now Peter’s going to practically be a virgin in comparison to him. There’s no way this is going to be enjoyable for him.

No, no, he shouldn’t go back to that train of thought. Thinking back of Tony’s words he reminds himself that it’s okay for this to be awkward. The first time is often awkward. Things need to be figured out. Right. Tony is surely right. He knows his stuff, after all.

“Hey, you still there?” Johnny asks with vague worry. Peter offers him a smile.

“Yeah, still there,” he returns. He doesn’t fight it when his shirt is being pulled off. Instead he leans into Johnny’s touch as he goes with his fingers over Peter’s chest.

“It’s incredible how just some clothes can hide all these.” Johnny sounds amused. “You always seem so skinny and scrawny, but in reality you’re a fucking athlete.”

“Part of the secret identity,” Peter points out.

“It’s hot.”

Peter chuckles nervously. “Right,” he gets out. He’s never been good at compliments. Especially when it’s about his looks. Johnny, being the complete opposite on that part never really catches that point, as is obvious when he leans forward to press his face into Peter’s neck, breathing in his scent and passing his hands over Peter’s shoulders.

“You’re sure that you’re sure about this?” he asks in a whisper.

 _No_ , Peter’s mind tells him. His mouth says: “Yes.”

They kiss again. Johnny fumbles with Peter’s belt. Before he knows it his pants have dropped on the ground. It adds to his nerves; another step towards… _it_. Shit, it’s going to happen tonight, isn’t it? He’s maybe kind of a little excited about it but… at the same time he’s continuously wondering what the Hell he’s doing here.

Knowing that it’s the way to go, Peter goes for Johnny’s pants, maybe glad that he’s only wearing sweatpants as they’re off rather quickly. Once they’re both in nothing other than their underwear Johnny turns them, pushing Peter onto the bed before he comes to lean above him.

“I don’t think you’re sure that you’re sure,” Johnny points out when he seems to have studied Peter’s face. Realizing that he’s had his eyes squeezed shut Peter looks up, a bit ashamed that he’s caught.

“Okay, sure, I’m perhaps a bit nervous. I’ve never- you know…”

“I know you’re not a virgin,” Johnny deadpans. Peter laughs.

“No, no, no, no. No, that’s not what I- I mean with a… I’ve been with girls before but never with a…”

“Never with a guy.” Johnny nods in understanding. He pecks him once again on the lips before coming down next to him, getting onto his side with his head resting in his hand. “So, we have three options here.”

“Three?” Peter finds himself curious as to what those could be. His belly tingles when he sees Johnny nod

“Yeah, three,” he repeats. He caresses Peter’s side, then, eyes not catching his but instead resting on his upper body. “First: we do nothing. We wait it out, give it more time and trust that if it’s gotta happen it’ll happen. Eventually”

Okay, good, the option’s out there, but that’s clearly not the choice Peter should be going for.

“Option two: you take control. I’m not doing anything and you get to do to me what you’re comfortable with. There’ll be no initiative from my side unless you specifically ask me to.”

Peter nods, reaching Johnny’s belly and playing with the hairs there. “Okay, what’s option three?”

“Option three: You lay back and do nothing while _I_ take control, but we talk about everything we do until I’m sure you’re actually enjoying yourself.”

Peter frowns as he thinks about these three options he’s been given. The first one seems like the obvious one to avoid, or at least keep as the last one. It would be stupid to give up now, so soon after they’ve started. He owes it at least to himself to try it. After all, he’s been through the most embarrassing conversation with his Dad to get to this point.

He’s not so sure about option 2. The idea of holding the reigns and deciding what to do when doesn’t feel too right. But at the same time the third option feels a bit like he’s completely letting go of said reigns. It’s going to make him feel helpless.

Hesitant, he thinks it over as Johnny kisses his neck, moving down onto his chest and paying special attention to his nipples. It’s incredibly distracting, making it nearly impossible to get to a decision.

“Well, babe?”

Peter snorts at the nickname, but that’s quickly followed with a gasp as Johnny’s lips get onto his belly. It tickles – and Peter’s _extremely_ ticklish.

“I, uh,” he starts. Two? Three? Taking control or giving control? Shit, what’s it gonna be?

“Don’t think too hard, just pick the one that sounds the most appealing.” He nips at Peter’s hipbones. It sends some spark of electricity through him. Shit, shit, shit. What sounds the most appealing?

“Option three?” he asks rather than saying it. Johnny pulls back, eyeing Peter carefully though with a raised eyebrow. What, was that not the good answer

“That sounded like a question. It’s your choice, not mine.” Johnny pecks his lips. Peter curses inwardly, kind of hating Johnny a bit right now for making him chose. He’s really bad with choices.

“Dude, just- Option three, okay? Get on with it.”

Johnny snorts. “Such a romantic,” he jokes. He then grabs Peter’s arms, pulling them up until they’re above his head. There he holds both of them in one hand as the other goes back over Peter’s side. It still tickles but instead of giggling Peter finds himself gasping.

“Stop fighting it,” Johnny warns him. “Just leave it to me.”

Peter relaxes his arms, allowing Johnny to let go of his grip. He takes a deep breath when Johnny sinks lower, his hands ghosting over Peter’s skin as he kisses a trail on his belly. He gasps again, his arms automatically moving to get to Johnny. He’s quickly stopped again as Johnny comes back up.

“Tssk, you’re not all that good at surrendering, are you?” he jokes, obviously finding this amusing. Peter can’t help but chuckle, too.

“I never give up,” he agrees.

“Yet you chose option three?” He’s adding a wink making Peter laugh again.

“C’mon man, just- just start, okay?”

“Only if you’re keeping your hands above your head.”

“I’m not keeping my hands above my- get a move on, hotman!” Peter shoves him playfully, only for Johnny to grab his hands and look him deeply into the eyes. Peter stops in his movements, his breath suddenly catching. It’s as if Johnny is staring right into his soul, trying to find out everything he can about him.

It feels weird in his belly. Peter lifts his head up, kissing his lips once again. Johnny goes along with it, pulling Peter’s hands back above his head but this time not letting them go. With his other, free, hand Johnny trails back over his belly until he gets to Peter’s underwear. Slipping underneath it, Peter gasps for breath again, nearly running out of it due to being in a liplock with his boyfriend.

“Just relax,” Johnny whispers against his mouth. Peter shivers.

“I’m trying,” he admits. “It’s just weird.”

“Weird, how?”

“Not a bad kind of weird,” Peter assures him. When Johnny’s hand comes to wrap around Peter’s length he lets out another long breath.

“Good,” Johnny agrees. He moves to kiss Peter in the neck and collarbone, sucking against his skin as he slowly starts to jack him off. Peter’s hands are still held up and while it’s easy for him to break free from it he doesn’t want to. After all he gave Johnny all control.

Peter grits his teeth together. He had not been excited when Johnny grabbed a hold of him but the stimulation he brings with him now brings Peter out of his shell. Feeling how his body prepares himself for this encounter he turns his head to the side, keeping his eyes closed.

“Johnny,” he whispers. Johnny bites him in the neck, making Peter gasp out again. It doesn’t hurt – it’s more… ticklish.

“Tell me how far you want to take this,” he hears coming from the other boy. And Peter isn’t sure; how far does he want to take this? Who knows? Having sex with women is easy in comparison to this. There’s just too many variables here.

Peter knows what it’s like to be inside someone he loves. Now he wonders what it’s like to have somebody he loves inside him. But it could hurt. Tony even warned him that it might hurt if he’s not enough prepared. Does Johnny even have things to prepare themselves with?

“Get- get me ready,” Peter tells him. Now Johnny pulls away, eyeing him curiously.

“You’re serious?” he asks. Peter nods, offering him an uncertain smile.

“Y-yeah, it’s cool.” Johnny rolls his eyes before letting go of Peter’s arms.

“I mean, you know I won’t mind the other way around if you’re not that sure. I don’t want to pressure you into doing something you don’t want to.”

“Johnny…” The more he’s going to try to convince him, the more Peter is going to hesitate. He just needs to shut up and get on with it.

“Okay, okay.” Johnny kisses him again before he leans to the side, reaching for the nightstand. And shit this is going to happen. He’s going to do this. It’s incredible, nothing Peter would have expected to ever happen. When Johnny isn’t looking he bites his lips, cursing silently at how nervous he is.

As Johnny returns Peter looks at the contents in his hands; The first thing is the small, half-empty bottle of lube that Peter has seen lingering around the few times he was in here. On the other there’s a small package, which he puts down on the mattress next to Peter.

“Okay, so, uh…” Johnny sits onto his knees, opening the bottle before closing it again. “You know what’s next?”

Peter nods, swallowing past a lump in his throat.

“Yea, okay, uh, so…”

“So…”

They chuckle nervously. The cap of the bottle gets opened and closed again and again. Peter starts fumbling with the sheets.

“We should probably… get these off…” Johnny points at their underwear.

“I think that would help, yeah.” Peter snorts at their awkwardness. It feels strange all over again, like when they were only just together; when they’d just passed that border of friends to boyfriends. The idea of even kissing each other had been a bit disturbing at the beginning. At least now they can kiss without bursting in to laughter after five seconds.

“Alright, uhm…” Johnny puts down the bottle, hooking his fingers behind Peter’s underwear and tugging on it. Peter lifts his hips off the ground, helping him out. And once he’s completely bare in front of him Peter feels that strong need to cover himself back up. At least when Johnny undresses as well he feels a little bit equal.

“You do know wat to do next, right?” Peter jokes in an attempt to lighten the mood.

“Har, har.” Johnny pushes him back down, pulling at his legs to open them up as he kneels down between them. Peter bites his lips again, pressing his hand onto his forehead, attempting to ignore this feeling of being too bare.

Johnny’s touch lingers a bit on the inside of his leg. When Peter feels brave enough he looks up to meet his gaze, finding him with obvious arousal in his gaze.

“Okay, so, uh… I’m gonna- uh…”

“You’re gonna stick your finger up my butt,” Peter tries to joke, but even as he says it he realizes that makes it even worse, as is obvious with the red cheeks forming on Johnny’s face.

“Uh, to put it bluntly, yeah,” he eventually agrees. He grabs the little bottle again, opening it up one last time as he spills some of its content onto his finger. “Starting with one, okay? It helps if you relax.”

“Dude, I don’t think I can really relax right now.” Peter bites his lower lip, turning his head to the side while letting out a deep breath. “Just- just do it.”

“Okay, it can be a bit cold- I’m sorry.”

“Yeow!” Peter jumps up as the sudden coolness on Jonny’s fingers touch him on one of his most private parts. Yeah, this was probably a bad idea. “You could have warned me, Johnny!”

“I did warn you! I literally just said it was gonna be cold!”

“No, forget about the co- I was talking about _you_. In case you’re forgetting you’re about to stick a finger up my-“

“Don’t say it again.”

“So I need you to tell me everything you do or I’m gonna freak out, okay?”

Johnny is quiet for a short second. Then he pushes Peter back down, leaning forward as well to kiss his lips again gently. Once, twice, each time softer than the previous. Peter tries to relax a bit, then. He closes his eyes, tries to ignore the fact that he’s buck-naked here. His hands grab on to Johnny’s long hair, his breath speeding up.

When Johnny pulls back for a few millimeters Peter gasps softly. “I’m doing it now,” he warns him, pressing their foreheads together. Peter nods without opening his eyes. Here they go, this is it. They’re gonna do it.

Johnny’s finger feels cold again, but this time Peter’s more prepared for it. He grits his teeth as Johnny starts to push against the ring of muscle. Luckily he doesn’t force his way through, simply waiting.

“Relax, babe,” he whispers against Peters lips. Peter nods. His eyes are still squeezed shut.

Johnny attempts again, though not with much luck. Peter tries counting to ten. Tries taking deep breaths. Nothing seems to work, until Johnny claims his mouth again. Before Peter knows it, a groan escapes his mouth, and then Johnny’s in.

“Oh,” Peter gets out in his surprise. It feels weird. Not… normal, like there’s something in him that shouldn’t be there. He waits it out, allowing himself some time to adjust. After all, people weren’t supposed to have things up their bum so it’s probably normal to feel this.

“Okay?” Johnny asks. Peter hesitates shortly.

“Yeah,” he then lies. It’ll be okay eventually. He’s sure of that. He pulls him closer again to claim another kiss. At least that distracts him a bit from what’s happening. He grunts as Johnny sinks in deeper until the knuckles on his hands are pressing against him. Peter then pulls back from him to gasp for breath.

People have to like this, otherwise they wouldn’t be doing this for their pleasure, right? Even some girls like doing this. Felicia once even suggested doing it but they never got to that point. Besides Peter hadn’t been much a fan of the idea.

Johnny moves in and out. Peter can feel his breath on his skin. He turns his head until his forehead is against his. His hand goes from Johnny’s hair to his upper arms where he’s squeezing them unknowingly. Johnny chuckles.

Eventually the first finger doesn’t hurt anymore. Not that it had hurt a lot – it was just unpleasant. Peter gives Johnny an affirming nod and the other boy pecks at his lips before looking down to look at what he’s doing.

“Second one,” he warns Peter, who closes his eyes as he awaits the addition. The feeling is close to the same thing as with the first, only a bit vaguer. He’s feeling too full once again, his muscles protesting against the intrusion. Peter bites on his lips, pulling Johnny’s head closer so his face is in his neck. At least that way he can’t see Peter’s expression and start worrying all over.

Eventually it becomes bearable again. Peter relaxes in Johnny’s touch, finally feeling some sort of stimulation as Johnny pulls his hand back and pushes in again and again. Just as he figures that he’s ready for the third his mind stops him.

He’s finally enjoying this a little bit. The addition of the third finger will make this uncomfortable again. If it’s alright he just wants to hang on to this for a few seconds, maybe minutes longer. Johnny doesn’t seem too hasty so there’s probably no problem.

“You still okay?” Johnny asks while nibbing at Peter’s neck.

“Y-yeah. Yeah, I’m fine.” He smiles at last, pulling a bit at Johnny’s hair until he looks up. Their eyes meet and all they do for a couple of seconds is just stare at each other. “You’re awesome, you know that?”

Johnny laughs. “Such a romantic,” he says. He kisses his lips again once, twice. “You’re pretty awesome too, hot stuff.”

“I think you’re mistaking; that nickname belongs to you.”

“Such a comic.” Johnny rolls his eyes before glancing downwards. “Ready for more?”

Peter hesitates a short second but then he realizes that, yes, he’s ready. Not for the new addition. He’s ready for the _actual_ thing. But the actual thing would require more preparation. So he nods. They need to get a move on. Peter wants to feel him. Wants to know what it’s really like.

“Bring it on,” he assures Johnny, who lets go of Peter, spurts some more lube onto his fingers before throwing the bottle back on the bed. Then he pulls out his hand. The empty feeling startles Peter a bit; it’s weird!

“Here we go,” he tells him. “Relax, okay?”

“Pal the more you tell me to relax the less I’m inclined to actually relax. Just do it.”

“Okay, okay, bossy.” And without further warning he pushes back in. Peter grunts and gasps at the same time, squeezing Johnny’s harm tightly and causing for the other boy to hiss. “Peter, you’re hurting me.”

“Sorry, it’s just- a lot.” Peter lets go of his hold on Johnny, throwing his arms over his head like at the beginning. “Can you just not move for a second or so?”

“Yeah, I can do that.” Johnny stops, pecking him all over his face before settling on his lips.

This is taking forever. Peter feels embarrassed about his own cowardice; Johnny has too much patience for him. He thanks him by kissing him even deeper, making sure to radiate all of his gratefulness into each kiss.

Eventually Johnny moves again and it’s at least bearable. It’s not as uncomfortable as with the first two fingers but at the same time it’s not… fireworks. It still feels weird if he’s honest, no matter that weird, probably good feeling he has whenever Johnny makes a specific move in a specific angle.

He’s growing a bit used to it by the time something happens; something he wouldn’t have expected. His eyes nearly pop out from the sudden surge of energy that seems to pass over him. It’s overwhelming, and he’s not too sure it’s in a good way.

“Whoa! Holy fucking shit what the fuck was that?!” he calls out, feeling like he needs to crawl away from it. Johnny leans back, holding him in place by pressing his hand against his stomach.

“Relax, Babe. That was just your prostate. Touching it can be overwhelming,” Johnny explains.

“That feels like an understatement. Just- don’t touch it too much, okay?” Peter’s not sure he liked that experience all that much. Johnny nods, turning his hand a bit so the stimulation of it is at its minimal.

He still grazes over it a couple of times and each time Peter finds himself gasping and squeezing his eyes shut. It’s not that it hurts per se, but more that it overwhelms him more than he can really handle.

“Pete?” Johnny eventually asks as he stops. Peter opens his eyes, looking back up at his boyfriend who seems worried.

“Ya think I’m ready?” he asks, forcing up a smile. Johnny simply frowns.

“I mean, you could be but… do you even want to?” he points downwards to that obvious lack of excitement going on between Peter’s legs. He groans in annoyance, throwing his head back.

“It’ll come back. Those fingers are just getting a bit old, is all,” Peter assures him. He takes Johnny’s arms between his hands and giving them an assuring squeeze. “I want you.”

“Again, you don’t _have_ to. I’m more than pleased to-“

“I don’t know if I don’t try, okay?” Peter swallows past another lump in his throat. “Just trust me. If I end up don’t liking it I’ll tell you in all honesty.”

Johnny seems hesitant for a bit longer before sighing and nodding. He comes back forward, leaning onto his right arm while the left one grabs the condom. As he moves to tear it up with his teeth Peter yanks it out of his fingers.

“Yeah, no, that’s how you’re asking for it to break,” Peter mutters. He uses both hands to open it up before handing it back to Johnny, who is smirking at him.

“What would I do without you?” He kisses him, taking the condom and sitting back up on his knees. Peter watches him work as he pulls it over his length with practiced precision. His cheeks redden, the realization of what they’re about to do once again hitting him right in the face. He attempts to distract himself by stroking over Johnny’s legs, all too aware of his own flaccid penis between his legs.

Once the condom’s on Johnny wipes his hands over the sheets, focusing onto Peter’s hips as he leans forward and kisses them there. He moves from one hip to the other, eventually focusing more to the middle and then lower. As he then grabs Peter’s soft penis, he holds it firmly between his fingers, moving to kiss it right on the head.

Peter gasps again, unable to look away from what’s happening. It’s not the first one somebody’s taken him in their mouth but it’s still something that surprises him. After all, given the fact that he rarely craves sex and only ever really initiates it for the sake of his partner, release isn’t exactly the top priority for him, as long as the other one has a good time.

Some people simply seem to enjoy doing this, Peter figures. And it works, somehow. From all the stimulation he’s getting, bloodflow seems to be going strong again. As he starts to get interested once more Peter can’t help but smile.

He’s always been so lucky with his partners taking his experience of this all into account. Peter can’t help but reach out a hand to Johnny’s cheek, catching his attention. Johnny looks up at him, smiling despite having his mouth full.

“C’mere,” he tells him lowly. Johnny lets go of him, allowing Peter to pull him up from underneath the chin. Smashing their mouths together Peter goes through his hair again. Johnny continues Peter’s stimulation by stroking him in the meantime. “Shall we get this show on the road?”

Johnny nods with a smile. He lets go of Peter, instead grabbing his own length. Peter shifts his hips, opening his legs further and hooking them around Johnny’s middle just to give him a better position. With one hand, Johnny spurts some more lube between them, spreading it all out over himself before taking place in front of Peter’s prepared opening.

His heart is beating like crazy, his breath caught. Their eyes never let go of one another as Johnny moves forward a bit more, guiding himself against the ring of muscle. “I’m, uh… I’m going in.”

“You sure will,” Peter jokes. He moves away some longer strands of hair, getting them out of Johnny’s face.

“Don’t panic, okay?”

“Just get on with it, Johnny. I’m not gonna break.” Peter pats his cheeks twice while giving him a smirk. Johnny rolls his eyes again.

“You’re an idiot.” Then, without further warning he guides himself inside. It steals the breath out of Peter’s lungs; that feeling of being too full. The three fingers had nearly been equal in wideness, but it feels completely different.

“Holy shit!” Peter calls out, nearly crawling away.

“What, did I hurt you?” Johnny’s worried, pulling back away before Peter grabs him by the hips and stops him from moving.

“You didn’t. You’re just… it feels weird.”

“Bad weird?” Johnny looks actually scared that he’s doing something wrong.

“I don’t know yet,” Peter admits. Okay, so there might be a chance he’s not all that into being on the receiving end of this all. But he sure as hell is going to try actually liking this. Attempting to make the situation lighter he smirks. “I need more data.”

Johnny then chuckles. “Oh, okay, then I suppose I have to give you more data,” he agrees. Carefully he moves his hips forward again, sinking deeper into Peter and filling him up in a way that makes him feel… uneasy? Shouldn’t he be used to this now, after the fingers?

“Okay?”

“Data, Johnny. Data.”

There’s another eyeroll. Johnny pulls back, nearly out, until he goes right back in. Once again, that particular spot is hit. And the one time after that as well, and then again. And Peter’s nearly blinded from being overwhelmed. His senses are all over the place, his eyes squeezed shut and his teeth grit together.

He doesn’t surrender, though. It’s just a matter of getting used to it. Peter hooks his legs harder around Johnny’s middle, wrapping his arms around him and pressing his face in his neck. At least tat way he can’t see his reactions. The guy’s always too worried.

“Oh, Pete,” Johnny whispers against his skin, clearly enjoying this way more than Peter is. Peter holds him by the back of the head, pressing his lips underneath his ear.

“It’s alright,” he says. “Go on. So much data.”

“I’m gonna give you all the data,” Johnny assures him. He deepens his thrusts, the stimulation getting stronger. Peter feels something well up in his chest, his entire body shivering underneath Johnny’s. Just a bit more. A bit longer. He can do this.

It grazes over it again. Peter explodes, suddenly pushing Johnny off him.

“Okay I have enough data!” Johnny is out of him in just a matter of seconds. He seems startled at being pulled out of it so quickly.

“So I take it you don’t like it all that much?” he states in question.

“Sorry, man, it’s too much. My senses are all over the place, I can’t- I can’t handle it.” Peter feels a bit of shame at having to give up. For a moment he fears that Johnny is annoyed at him for leading him on like this. But then he chuckles. Peter looks up in confusion.

“Eh, it’s not for anybody,” Johnny assures him. He holds his face into his hands, forcing him to look right into his eyes. “There’s a reason people prefer to be tops or bottoms. Guess you’re just the former.”

Peter smiles awkwardly, putting his hand onto Johnny’s. “How ‘bout you?”

Johnny smirks now, pulling his face towards his and kissing his lips. “I guess I’m just glad I don’t have to fight you for it.” Peter rolls his eyes but kisses him again. Johnny leans backwards, dropping down on the bed with Peter now on top of him. Peter leans onto his elbows, looking down at Johnny.

He smiles, once again removing the hair from Johnny’s face.

“Ah, back how it’s supposed to be,” Johnny jokes. He opens up his own legs now, wrapping them around Peter and pressing their groins together. “You wanna try the other way around or just like this?”

Peter breathes out heavily before putting his forehead against Johnny’s. “Dude, can you wait long enough for me to prep you?”

Johnny smirks. “You’re lucky I came prepared,” he tells him with a wink. He takes Peter’s hand, pours some lube on his fingers and then guides them to between his legs. Expecting resistance where there had been with Peter, he finds that his first finger slips right inside. The same goes for the second and the third.

“Dude, how the hell did you prepare yourself so fast?” Peter moves his hand so quickly, even managing a groan out of Johnny when he must have passed over his prostate.

“I had some fun in the shower before you came here,” Johnny explains to him. Peter laughs.

“You do that often, then?” he wonders. Johnny rolls his eyes.

“Hey, I got a high sexual appetite! I need to compensate for your lack of one one!”

“I’m just teasin’, hot stuff,” Peter laughs. He removes his hand, wipes his fingers over and moves to get to the nightstand. Johnny stops him mid-movement, blinking in hesitance.

“Yeah, so, uh… I was wonderin’; I got nothing. Been getting myself testing occasionally. I figure you’re clean, too, right?”

Peter frowns as he thinks. “Yeah,” he agrees. He’s never done it without protection, after all. Besides, he’s not too sure he can really catch anything like that. But then again, he once had a cold after getting his powers so he shouldn’t rely on that too much.

But as Johnny keeps a firm grasp on Peter’s hand it dawns on him what exactly Johnny is implying here.

“Oh, you wanna- you wanna go bare?” The thought of doing that never even really occurred to him. Not even with all his previous partners. Even when he was too drunk at least he still thought of the protection he had to use.

“I mean, if you don’t mind. ‘s just that… there’s nothing to catch from my side and, uh, it’s not like you can get me pregnant after all.” He’s chuckling nervously. Peter blinks down at him. He’s, in all honesty, not too sure how to approach this.

“Okay, so, it’s not that I don’t trust you,” Peter starts. Johnny’s smile already falters so Peter quickly continues. “I like the idea. It’s a good idea. But I can in good conscience not do that when the last thing my Dad told me yesterday was to use a condom and lots of lube.”

Johnny’s eyes widen. Not long after he bursts out laughing, tears forming in his eyes while a hand is put on his belly. “Oh my God, you actually told your father about our sex-life?” he asks.

“No!” Peter counters. “I mean, maybe. We didn’t have a sex-life yet! I was just asking for advice!”

“You’re too adorable, Peter Parker.”

Peter grunts, poking him in the side before finally leaning to the nightstand and taking out the condom from where Johnny got his. “And you’re annoying,” he counters. He rips open the package and puts it on without too much thought.

“Mr. Responsible,” Johnny jokes. “You rock my world with all that responsibility. Always doing the right thing. Steve’s rubbing off on you.”

“Just shut up.” Peter makes him by kissing him as he positions himself and enters Johnny in one swift thrust. The boy gasps against Peter’s mouth but Peter’s not any better. This right here, this feels already a lot better than before. He pushes himself all the way inside, until his hips are pressing right against Johnny’s, the other’s groin resting between them, not getting any attention.

Time suddenly seems to move much quicker than it should. Peter rests onto his elbows, his face right next to Johnny’s, who’s pressing his nails into Peter’s back in his pleasure. He squeezes his legs tighter around Peter.

And as Peter wants to reach between them to help Johnny out, the latter shakes his head, gently pushing his hand aside. “I don’t need that,” he assures him. “Just keep doing what you’re doing.”

Johnny is true to his word. Spending all his attention on Johnny with kisses and gentle touches, the boy seems to glow from the special care. He shakes underneath Peter, groans ever so softly and barely audible – it’s a complete contrast to all the adventures Peter’s heard back when they were roommates. He figures now, the louder Johnny is during sex the less he’s into it and he’s just trying to compensate.

“I- I’m-“ Johnny starts eventually. Peter smiles at him.

“Me, too,” he agrees. He shifts his hip a couple more time, feels Johnny cramp up underneath him as he reaches his climax and only a few more thrusts until Peter, too, spills it all out. He can’t help but let out a small “Shit!” before he drops himself down on Johnny as all strength leaves his body. His head rests onto his shoulder, their chests simultaneously moving up and down.

“Holy crap,” Johnny whispers. “That must have been the best orgasm I’ve had in a long time. Kudos to you.”

Peter snorts. “Dude don’t give me kudos for that. It’s just weird.” He finally looks up again, finding Johnny grinning from ear to ear.

“You’re the weird one,” he counters. Meanwhile Peter moves back, discarding the condom and throwing it in the bin with perfect precision. Then he rolls down until he’s on his back, next to Johnny who turns on his side and leans his head on his hand.

“Na-ah, that spot belongs to you. But it’s alright. I love you anyways.”

It’s out before he knows it. He freezes on the spot, seeing Johnny’s amused look disappear as well as his mouth drops open and his eyes widen in surprise. Did Peter just seriously casually drop the L-word? After sex?

Shit, shit, shit. Johnny’s gonna freak out. He’s gonna think they’re moving too fast and he’s gonna run out and it’ll all be Peter’s fault! Quick, distract him. Tell him something stupid. Tell him-

“Ditto,” Johnny then says, interrupting Peter’s train of panic-thought. Realizing what he just said, Peter pokes him in the chest.

“’ _Ditto’_? That’s all you can say? ‘ _Ditto_?’”

“Hey, it’s Swayze!” Now Johnny grins again, as if he’s challenging Peter.

“And that’s supposed to mean anything to me?”

“Dude, Patrick Swayze? The movie Ghost? With Demi Moore?” Johnny sounds even more amused now. When Peter just stares back at him he breathes in confusion. “It’s a very romantic movie?”

“You’re an asshole, you know that?” Peter grabs the pillow and slams it over Johnny’s face, making him laugh it out as he attempts to slam it away. Peter tries again and again, but eventually Johnny steals the pillow and grabs Peter under his armpits, rolling them around until he’s on top of him. Then comes the tickling again.

Peter shouts it out in laughter. It’s torture. He tries to keep him off of him, but Johnny’s damn fast.

“Oh no, you don’t!”

Twenty minutes later, after a good shower and a change of their bedsheets, the pair is seated on the couch, the TV playing the movie ‘Ghost’ as Peter is leaning up against Johnny, who has his arm wrapped round him.

And when Ned arrives home halfway in the movie he doesn’t comment on their choice of movie, instead sitting himself down on the single couch as he starts scrolling through his phone.

* * *

##  December 31st, 2025

They haven’t been hanging out as much as before, lately. It’s only normal – everybody has their own personal life to deal with, after all. But New Year’s Eve is something Peter has been insisting on celebrating with everybody.

Almost everybody, that is. While Wade could join them for a change, Liz went to celebrate with her family instead. And with Ned and Betty’s eventual second break-up, she’s not joining them as well. Yaël stays with her family in New Asgard, too, and the same goes for Shuri in Wakanda.

He’s glad that Wanda and Vision agreed to join them, though. Sure, they told him beforehand that they wouldn’t stay long due to her being pregnant and about ready to pop, but the fact that they’ll be there for a few hours is enough for Peter.

They’re at the apartment, supposedly the last time they’re going to be celebrating it there since Ned’s announced that he’s finding a place on his own. Peter had offered to take up his part of the rent once more, but Johnny had refused.

Standing here, Peter gets a little lump in his throat at the idea that by next year other people will be living here. But, to be fair, the only reason they took this place is because it was close to the university, and now that neither of them goes there anymore they can find someplace else. A better neighborhood.

Yeah, Peter should probably bring up the subject of them possibly living together after he graduates next year. Is it too soon? It probably is…

“Pete? Can you take the plates?”

Pulled out of his train of thought, Peter quickly hurries to the kitchen where Johnny is busy making dinner.

“Yeah, sorry, got distracted for a bit,” he admits. Johnny simply chuckles and kisses his cheek.

“It’s alright, we still have time,” he tells him. They’re not even dressed for the occasion, yet. The idea for tonight is to have dinner and then have a drink (or a few) until the countdown.

“It’s weird it’s gonna be our last New Year in this place, huh?” Peter tries while he picks up the plates.

“Yeah, but it’s alright. We can make new memories in another, probably smaller apartment, no?” He lets go of Peter once more to continue cooking whatever delicious thing he’s making.

Peter hesitates, wondering if what he said is a subtle way of asking him to move in together. It could be, right? Is it possible?

“Pete, you okay?”

Jesus, he’s so easily distracted lately. “Yeah, yeah, I’m fine,” he assures him. “Just excited to see everybody again. Or everybody that could make it, that is.”

“Hey, you’re not still bummed about that, are you? Because they really had good reasons and-“

“No, no, I’m not. I know why they couldn’t all make it.” He finally puts the plates on the table and then moves on with the glasses and the cutlery. “How much longer until they get here?”

“Uh, four more hours. Relax, man. We got time.”

“I know, I know.” Once finished setting up the table Peter rejoins Johnny in the kitchen. He comes to stand next to him, leaning up against the counter with his arms crossed. “So…”

“You’re being awkward,” Johnny points out. “Why are you awkward? Didn’t we pass the awkward phase already?”

Peter rolls his eyes. “I’m not being awkward, stop being an asshole.”

Johnny turns to him with a raised eyebrow. “’So…’? That’s what you do when you want to talk about something but you don’t dare bring it up. I’m not an idiot, Peter.”

He puts down the knife after cutting up the tomatoes and puts it into the sink. Peter eyes him carefully when he walks; he’s wearing one of Peter’s shirts, which means that it’s too small for him. The smallest bit he raises his hands his entire belly is showing. The pants he’s wearing are his own, but he seems to have forgotten to put on a belt since it’s dropped low onto his hips. Peter bites his lips when he sees it.

Shit, yeah, the first time Peter realized that he might _actually_ be sexually attracted to Johnny must have been the best day in Johnny’s life. And while he probably would have wanted to celebrate it in bed all day, life has other plans and instead Johnny was called away with the Four to help out with some crisis.

“I know that look now. That’s the ‘I want to rip these pants off of you’-look.”

Peter looks back up to him, realizing he might have looked down for a little bit too long. His cheeks heat up from embarrassment.

“No, it’s not,” he quickly lies.

“Yes, it is.” Johnny steps forward and puts his hands on Peter’s hips. “You can’t fool me, sweetheart.”

Peter groans. Johnny’s insistence of using pet names is one that remains despite Peter’s repeated objections.

“So, correct me if I’m wrong, but not only is there an awkward thing you want to talk to me about, but you’re also getting incredibly turned on from seeing me prepare the food?”

He chuckles then, finally wrapping his own arms around Johnny’s waist. “From seeing you do the dishes, yeah,” he corrects him.

“I simply put a knife in the sink?”

Peter bites his lip again. “So sexy,” he jokes.

“Okay, so, what do you want to do? Move this to the bedroom?”

“Maybe, maybe not. You’ll probably never know.” Peter lets go of him and starts walking away, only to be pulled back by the arm. Before he knows it he’s lifted off the ground, thrown over Johnny’s shoulder who starts walking to the bedroom and throws him on the bed with ease.

Peter makes a shout of protest before he hits the sheets. He can’t say a word before Johnny throws himself over him and claims his mouth into a heated kiss. Peter groans in surprise but goes along with it eventually.

They don’t waste too much time with it. Johnny undresses just as quickly as Peter can say his name. Before he knows it he has a completely naked boyfriend on top of him, leaning down to kiss him deeply. He smells strongly of the vegetables he’d been cutting earlier, and Peter even fishes out a piece of cucumber from his hair.

Johnny’s left hand has a tight grip on Peter’s hair, while his right hand is somewhere behind him. Peter doesn’t need to be a genius to find out what exactly is happening there.

“Aren’t you going to undress me?” Peter asks in between kisses. He feels Johnny shake his head rather than seeing it.

“Nu-uh,” he simply says, though he does let go of Peter’s hair to open up his pants and shove them down a little bit. Diving underneath Peter’s briefs, Johnny grabs on to him and gives his member a tight squeeze. Peter gasps for breath at that. He holds on to Johnny’s hips, squeezing him probably a bit too much

Without a warning Johnny pulls him out. Now with two hands he unpacks a condom – something they’ve decided to keep using anyway – and puts it on Peter. It all happens so quickly that Peter barely has time to say anything before Johnny sinks down on him.

They both groan in their pleasure. It feels good. Very good. Peter’s really glad that Johnny’s preference isn’t being the top, because Peter really didn’t enjoy their first and even their second attempt at switching it around. It’s just too overwhelming for him.

It’s not that it lasts long; they’re too rushed for that. But that doesn’t make it any less good. Peter loses it in just a few minutes. Johnny helps himself over that edge, and once they’re both finished Johnny drops down on top of him, both of them extremely out of breath.

“That- that was nice,” Johnny manages out. He doesn’t make any move to get away, despite having his entire weight dropped down on Peter.

“It sure was, now get off me.” He gives him a push on the side and Johnny finally rolls over. Peter gets back on his feet almost immediately after, running to the bathroom where he takes a washcloth and puts it under the water. He quickly discards of the condom, tugs himself back in his pants and hurries back to the bedroom to clean Johnny up a bit.

Johnny’s still on his back, though now he’s looking through his phone while he waits for Peter’s return. Hearing his footsteps he looks up at him.

“Was afraid you ran off,” he jokes. Peter climbs back up on the bed and carefully cleans up Johnny’s belly.

“Nah, wouldn’t do that,” he assures him. Eventually Johnny takes over the cloth to clean himself up behind him before throwing it into the basket not too far away from the bed.

“We should probably do some laundry,” he points out.

“You’re probably right.” He lies down on the bed, cuddling up against Johnny without shame. So he likes hugs, who can blame him? “Tomorrow, perhaps?”

“Perhaps.” Johnny throws an arm around Peter’s shoulder to hold him close. He makes no move to get dressed at all. Peter’s hand passes over his belly, making invisible figures on it. It’s alright to stay like this for a bit. They’ve got time.

He startles when there’s a knock on the door, which opens right after that. Who knocks and doesn’t even wait for an answer? Jesus fuck! He’s jumped up on the ceiling, having left a naked Johnny on the bed alone when another person enters their room.

“Hey, guys, you mind if I stay-“ Harry stops talking mid-sentence, blinking in surprise when he sees Johnny there. Johnny, being completely unashamed of his body, makes no move to get dressed at all.

“Likin’ the view, Osborn?” he jokes. Harry clears his throat and looks up. Peter’s glad he’s still wearing all his clothes, at least.

“Why are you on the ceiling?” Harry asks with an amused smirk on his lips.

“Because… uh…” Peter’s eyes move from Harry to Johnny and then back to Harry.

“Did I come in at a bad moment?” Though he’s attempting to keep things civil, it’s obvious that there’s a large amount of amusement in his voice. Like he’s mocking them anyway.

“Gosh, I don’t know, is it ever the right moment when you walk in and find somebody naked in bed with their easily-started spider-boyfriend hanging onto the ceiling?”

“Right… I’ll… wait in the living room.” Harry points to the space behind him. Johnny gives him a thumb’s up, while Peter drops back down to the floor. He knows his face is fiery red. He’s very well aware of it. This is a story they’re going to hear for a while… great.

Quietly Johnny gets dressed again while Peter attempts to tame his hair a bit. He puts on some socks before he walks back into the living room, finding Harry seated on the couch with the TV playing something on the news.

“Next time when you knock you should wait for an answer,” Peter points out. He picks up a pillow and throws it onto Harry who laughs it out and deflects it easily.

“And miss out on all of that? Nu-uh, that was hilarious.” He sighs, muting the TV while clearing his throat. “Your old man don’t mind you’re not celebrating with him? Or May?”

Peter shakes his head. “Nah, May and Rhodey are at my Dad’s and Steve’s. A few members of the original Avengers are there but that’s about it.” He shrugs while he goes to sit down next to Harry.

“So..”

Oh no, now Peter gets what Johnny means; it’s the thing somebody does when they want to talk about something but don’t know how to bring it up. Much like Peter did this morning.

“Spill it out.”

Harry smirks even wider, turns off the TV and faces him with his legs crossed on the couch. “So, you two are doing it now? Since when?”

Peter rolls his eyes. “Does it really matter?” This here, this exactly is what he means; this whole world’s fixation on sex, on people having sex and their stories about it. For Peter, it’s something private, something he has no need of sharing. Why would he, anyway? What he does with Johnny is just for them to know about.

“C’mon, man, this is the stuff best friends talk about, no? Is he any good?”

Peter fumbles with his fingers nervously, avoiding Harry’s eyes as he clears his throat. Yet he doesn’t give that an answer; he’s not obligated to give one, after all.

“You can try, Harry, but he’s not going to spill the secrets.” That’s Johnny, who comes back in wearing the same clothes as before. Instead of joining them on the couch he returns to the kitchen where he takes out the carrots from the fridge and starts preparing them.

“You can’t be serious? Not even a tiny little detail?”

“Nope, that’s the way he is. I would stop trying if I were you.” Johnny winks at Peter to assure him he’s got his back, and Peter’s grateful. Seeing his discomfort, Johnny drops the carrot and approaches him to pass his hand through his hair. Then he pulls his head back and kisses his lips gently.

“Alright, alright, I get it. Stop the smooches, please.” Harry raises his hand to his eyes to block his view. Johnny lets go of Peter to return to the carrots. Peter, then, takes out his phone and scrolls through his news feed.

“So, why are you early?” he asks without looking up. Harry turns the TV back on and throws his legs over Peter’s.

“Got bored at home. Figured you might need help preparing.” He goes through the channels until he gets to a music station that plays the latest hits. After that, he makes no move to get back up.

“Helping by sitting on the couch?” Peter jokes, looking up from his screen to find Harry’s gaze fixated on the music video currently playing.

“I mean, you can order me around if you want,” he offers without looking away.

“You any good in the kitchen?” Johnny offers.

“You betcha!”

“Then you can come help here. Can always use the help, but I figured it was safer to keep Peter _out_ of the kitchen.”

Harry gets up at last. Johnny hands him an apron and gives him instructions on what to do next. Peter, too, gets on his feet, throwing Johnny an annoyed glance while putting his hands on his hips.

“Excuse me, it was _one_ time I messed up. Are you ever going to let that go?” he asks in annoyance. It had been when they were still roommates and Peter had tried to cheer Johnny up for something that had been bothering him. Too bad, the chili got burnt and Johnny had only just arrived in time to stop the fire.

“Never,” Johnny assures him with a wink. “But if you want, you can check if all the drinks are in the fridge, huh?”

“Asshole.” Peter does it anyway. He opens the fridge and finds all the different sodas and alcoholic drinks that they got together for this evening. In the fridge there’s some self-made ice cream that, once again, Peter didn’t get any part of making. The appetizers are some crisps and sausages, as well as some vegetables.

“Everything’s set,” he mutters. He gets back to Johnny, throws his arms around his boyfriend’s middle and just stands there for a bit. With his head barely getting over Johnny’s shoulder, he looks how he works. His hands cutting through the carrots with practiced ease.

“Great,” Johnny returns. He lifts up a piece and feeds it to Peter. It tastes good, but Peter just really likes carrots, too. “You drinkin’ tonight?”

“Yup,” Peter smiles.

“Excuse me? You’re drinking? I thought you couldn’t?” Harry drops the knife in his surprise, probably to make sure he doesn’t accidentally cut himself.

“The fact that you can’t drink while on antidepressants is highly exaggerated, but it’s true that it’s not recommended. That said, since this week I am officially off the pills.” Peter smirks widely. He’s really happy that he no longer has to take them; the build-down had been suggested by his therapist, and Peter had been very happy when it came up. After all, he’d been taking them for years, even she figured that it’s time to try going without.

To be fair, the road to going off the medication had been hard, but he’s been extremely lucky that Johnny is patient and willing to be there for him even when he’s being a jerk. Which he has been on many occasions.

Grateful for him, Peter kisses his cheek again before squeezing tighter.

“Oof, give me a chance to breathe, Babe,” Johnny jokes.

“No, asshole,” he returns playfully. Johnny rolls his eyes.

“If I allow you to cut one cucumber, will you stop calling me ‘asshole’ every time I’m in the kitchen?”

“Maybe.” Peter grins once more, though releases his tight grip around Johnny’s waist. He moves to stand next to him with a hand on his shoulder.

“Okay, so, first you peel them and-“

“I’m not a complete idiot, jerkface.” Peter takes the knife starts working between his boyfriend and best friend.

“I know you aren’t, babe.”

“You two are almost disgusting.”

Johnny and Peter turn to him, not entirely surprised by his comment but still intent on making him feel uncomfortable because of it. Which seems to be working, as he starts clearing his throat.

“Uhm,” he begins. “I said ‘almost’, didn’t I?”

Peter pokes him in the side. Then the three of them continue in silence.

This is good. This feels great.

Peter smiles.

* * *

##  February 1st, 2026

It’s been a terrible few days. It should have a happy time, people all hanging out together and talking about how great life has been lately, cooing over the two little boys that were brought into this world a couple of weeks ago. And to be fair, it had started that way; with Peter getting a phone call in the middle of the night from Carol, telling them that Wanda just gave birth to two wonderful, healthy baby boys.

He had gotten out of bed, even dragged Johnny out of it as well. They got themselves to the compound as quickly as they could and had a look at the boys that were named William and Thomas Maximoff.

And they had been beautiful, with wide eyes, rosy cheeks, making cute little sounds as Peter got to hold one of them. Hell, he had even looked over at Johnny and started imagining them being fathers to a kid. It had felt funny all the way inside, though to this day he tells himself it was just because he had been holding a baby, not because he wants to be a parent so badly. No! Seriously! People need to stop talking about it!

Peter lets out a sigh. He turns to the side, finding Johnny fast asleep next to him. They were both so exhausted when they finally got to bed yesterday. To be fair, it felt like it’s been an entire month since they’ve really slept. They hadn’t spoken yesterday, just got under the covers and held on to each other.

He reaches out to his boyfriend, his fingers pushing his hair out of his face. Johnny looks at peace, content. It gives Peter a small smile despite all that happened in the past few days.

Peter then turns onto his back, looking up at the ceiling with his hands on his belly. He should go back to sleep – he’s not caught up to all the lost hours by far, but his mind is too crowded with thoughts. He hesitates for a few more seconds before he gets onto his feet and exits his bedroom. He heads to the living room of the penthouse. It’s dark, everybody fast asleep. Peter turns on the lights and heads to the kitchenette to get some water.

They would have returned to the apartment, but it had been late and they were here anyway. They just stayed at Peter’s room; it hadn’t even been a question.

Peter sighs, pulling up his phone and looking over his news feed. With his heart beating faster by the post he reads, he wonders if anything’s already been posted about it. Oh, he hopes not.

“Don’t worry, nothing’s up yet.”

Peter startles, dropping his phone as he turns around. There he sees Tony leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. He looks tired, too. His hair is up in the air, the silver in it almost illuminated by the light. Hell, his hair is mostly gray nowadays, since he’s stopped dyeing it.

“Hey, Dad,” Peter greets him before picking up his phone once more. He throws it onto the couch and leans back. “Can’t sleep either, huh?”

“Same seems to go for you.” Tony finally steps forward to join Peter on the couch. He sits down, throws an arm over the back while passing his other hand through his hair. “Guess it’s only normal. It’s been a crazy few days.”

“Any news on her?”

Tony sighs. “She’s with Strange. He’s gonna stay with her to help her through her grief.”

“And Vision? Can we get him back?”

Tony sighs. “It’s possible, since we’ve got his data stored somewhere after we took the stone away. But it might be a different Vision than we’re used to.” Tony looks down, appearing distressed. Peter doesn’t blame him.

Peter stays quiet. He hopes this Vision his Dad is talking about isn’t a completely different version of him. Just imagine he wouldn’t even know them? Would they all still be friends?

But it beats not having him anymore at all. They can befriend him again, remind him of all the times they’ve had together as friends. Of his love for Wanda. They can bring him up to speed.

“You ever heard anything about this Mephisto-guy?”

Peter shakes his head. “No, other than him being a Demon-character in religious lore. Never would have thought him to be real.” A sigh escapes his mouth and he leans to the side, his head resting against Tony’s shoulder.

“Yeah, me neither. But I guess the stories had to come from somewhere, huh?” Tony’s hand goes to Peter’s head, passing through his hair. “They’re going to get through this, son. We’re gonna get Vision back, Strange’s gonna work on calming Wanda down, get her back to her senses. They can work through it.”

Peter feels like he’s trying to make it sound easier than it is. He lowers his gaze, takes a deep breath and speaks: “It’s just weird that I held them only a few days ago, and now they’re gone. I can’t imagine what she’s going through.”

“I can. And I know it’s horrible. Something you feel like you can never accept. And she probably never will…”

Peter looks back to him, a bit surprised about his Dad talking so openly about this.

“What was going through your mind when I died?” Peter asks. “When Thanos-“ He stops, seeing the distressed look in Tony’s eyes.

“I was ready to die along with you,” Tony admits. “Up until the time-travel solution came up, I was ready to go down in the war. This feeling, this dark, bottomless pit that seemed to suck me in… it was unbearable, I just wanted it to be over.”

Tony gets up. He’s limping a bit, got hurt during this whole ordeal. Everybody got hurt one way or another. But all of their pain doesn’t even come close to what Wanda and Vision must have felt when their twin boys were taken from them.

It’s all very confusing to him, too. According to Strange, Mephisto must have been torn apart by Reed’s son a while back, releasing a strong sense of magic all around that Wanda must have tapped into without knowing what it was. Once Mephisto was back, he claimed back the two parts of himself that were inside the children. Peter didn’t see it happen, but he did see the aftermath.

It had been horrible.

“We should get some sleep. Tomorrow’s another long day if we wanna work on getting back Vision. Probably should call your friend Shuri if we wanna get this done extra quickly.” Tony smiles down at him before leaning forward to kiss his forehead. When he sees Peter’s bruised eye he looks sad. “Goodnight, son.”

Peter nods at his Dad. “Goodnight,” he says in return. He watches Tony walk off and Peter decides that he’s right. He should go to sleep now. He should, for a moment, try to forget about everything and just take in the moment.

He gets back into his bed, Johnny having his back facing him. Peter snuggles up closer, wrapping his arms around his middle and pressing his face against Johnny’s shoulder.

“Pete?” Johnny asks sleepily. Peter shushes him.

“It’s alright, just go back to sleep,” he assures him.

“M’kay. Good night.”

Peter smiles sadly. “Night.”

* * *

## March 13th, 2026

“Johnny?”

“Hmmmm?”

“When are you going to introduce me to your Dad?”

Johnny drops his phone, giving Peter a hard, deep look before he shakes his head.

To be fair, the question has been going through Peter’s head for a while now, but so far he hasn’t dared to ask about it. Peter might know an awful lot about Johnny, but the whole deal with his father has so far always remained a mystery. Aside the fact that he’s currently in jail – though what for, Peter has no clue.

“No,” Johnny mutters eventually, picking his phone back up, though now with a hard expression. He’s gritting his teeth together, it seems, making it obvious that he’s not at all liking the subject of their conversation.

“No?” Peter frowns at Johnny, shifting on the couch until he’s facing him. He takes the phone out of Johnny’s hands and puts it behind him. “I don’t know anything about your dad, Johnny! You know everything there is to know about my family. Don’t I deserve at least a little bit of information?”

“I don’t wanna talk about it.” Johnny crosses his arms in annoyance.

“So it seems,” Peter sighs. He gets on his feet and heads to the kitchen to get something to drink. He feels extremely annoyed at this point and he would be ready to just jump out a window and get some crime out of the way. But he can’t keep on running away from his problems like he’s always done. Instead he just leans against the counter and sighs again.

“Are you angry now?” Johnny sounds surprised.

“Yeah, I kinda am,” Peter admits with a frown.

“Because I don’t wanna introduce you to my dad?”

“That seems to be the problem here, yeah.”

Johnny gets on his feet and storms into the kitchen, seemingly pissed off as well by now. This is not at all how Peter wanted this evening to go, but here they are anyway.

“Is it so hard for you to understand that, after what he’s done, I don’t wanna introduce my boyfriend to my father?!” Johnny calls out. Once he stands in front of Peter he puts his hands on his hips.

“How could I know? You never even told me what he’s in for! And you forbade me to look it up, remember? I know _nothing_ about him! I don’t even know his name!”

“Does it matter, Pete?!”

“Yes!”

“Okay, because you think that because your family is so great and wholesome that everybody’s is! Newsflash, we don’t all have such an extended family to count on! Some of us are just left completely alone after their parents run off or die!”

“Don’t you pull that card on me! I know what it’s like to lose a parent! I’ve lost three of them, in case you forgot!”

“But you still have a dad!”

“So do you!”

Johnny groans in annoyance and puts his hands in his hair. He throws his head back, pacing around the room nervously while now Peter has his arms crossed. He knows that the look he gives to Johnny is less than friendly, but in all honest honesty; HE DOESN’T CARE!

“My Dad killed someone, okay?!”

Peter falls quiet, loosening his stance in his shock. He blinks up at Johnny, seeing him crumble together as he speaks. Johnny crosses his arms in front of him, almost hugging himself with his eyes averted.

“My Dad was a surgeon. He was one of the best, they said. But one day he and my Mom went to a dinner held in his honor and they crashed. Problems with the tires, they said. My Mom didn’t make it.”

Peter knew that part already, but he doesn’t speak up. Instead he walks a bit closer, but when he sees Johnny take a step back he knows to keep his distance for now.

“My dad tried all he can to save her; he performed surgery, cut her open in a final attempt to save her, but it was all in vain. He never recovered from that, took to drinking and started gambling. He lost every bit of money that we had, and eventually had to borrow some from some evil drug lord.”

“Oh no,” Peter mutters out…

“By then, it was Sue taking care of me rather than our dad. She took me to school, made sure I had something to eat; you know, things that weren’t her tasks to do.”

Peter feels bad, now, for having pushed this upon him. He had no idea Johnny’s family had been this imperfect, broken.

“Eventually he couldn’t repay all his loans,” Johnny continues. He finally sits down at the kitchen table, biting his lower lip once before finally looking back up, staring Peter right in the eyes. “The guy sent somebody after him. There was a fight. A gun. You can imagine what happened next.”

“Johnny…” Peter sits down next to him, taking his hand into his own. This time Johnny doesn’t back away from him, instead letting out a bitter laugh.

“During the trial he just… he just stood there. He didn’t even say anything, Pete… He even forbade me and my sister to come visit. Made her tell me that he was dead. Of course she wouldn’t lie to me.” Johnny leans his head to the side, resting it on Peter’s shoulder while he hooks his fingers into Peter’s.

“Do you think that maybe he never really was honest about what happened there?” Peter wonders. Johnny shrugs.

“It doesn’t matter now, does it? He’s still in for 20 years. He could have asked for help sooner. Could have… I dunno, taken care of us instead of quitting his job and gambling everything away.”

Though Peter understands where Johnny’s Dad is coming from. After losing somebody you love, thinking it’s your fault… it’s difficult to function normally after something like that. Assessing this current situation, though, Peter figures it’s better not to tell Johnny this. He doesn’t want to initiate another fight with him, after all. Instead, Peter puts his free hand against Johnny’s cheek and makes him look up again.

“I’m sorry, J… I shouldn’t have pushed like that. It obviously bothers you a lot.”

Johnny shrugs. “It’s alright. Maybe I overreacted a bit. I just never introduced anybody to him, and to do so now… I dunno.”

“It’s okay. I’ll meet him when I’ll meet him.” Peter kisses his forehead and embraces him strongly. Johnny leans into the touch, sighing happily against Peter.

“I don’t like fighting.”

Peter chuckles. “I don’t think that’s inevitable, Hot Stuff.”

“Aww, too bad.”

* * *

##  April 23rd, 2026

Peter’s rarely left New York. When he was a kid, going on a holiday literally meant ‘going to the nearest beach for a day’ and nothing more. There had been that time that he went to Germany with his Dad, but that didn’t even come close to a holiday to be fair, as it was only business.

The trip to Disneyland had been one great experience, too. The trip to space a little less so. The only few times he ‘really’ leaves New York is to go to MIT, but it’s not like that’s incredibly far, either. They also tried a few times to go on a yearly vacation to Malibu, but that never really became a tradition in the end.

No, leaving the state isn’t exactly something he’s done often, so getting out of the airport with a small trunk in his hands is a bit mind blowing, especially given the fact that this is Vegas and everything looks incredibly… he can’t even put a name to it.

“Mind blown?” MJ asks in amusement and Peter nods. It’s already evening, the sky being close to dark. The traffic is busy, the lights shining brightly. Peter clears his throat and wonders where they should go.

“Where to, next?” Ned sounds excited, and Peter can’t blame him. He’s been wanting to go to Vegas for a while, now.

“It’s called Caesar’s Palace,” Peter clarifies. “My Dad’s usual hotel whenever he gets to Vegas. Or _went_. He rarely comes here anymore.”

“I can’t blame him.” They all breathe out simultaneously, probably equally tired from the travel. It’s not like it’s that far, but Peter still feels incredibly stiff in his neck. It could also be the nerves; he’s heard so much about Vegas, he’s almost afraid of what can happen here. But when Ned suggested going here to have some fun, he couldn’t exactly refuse.

They got almost everybody together. It’s just him, Johnny, MJ and Shuri, Ned, Harry and Wade. The latter _did_ join them this time for a change, though he seems less impressed from what he’s seeing around him. Peter knows he’s going to regret bringing him along, but on the other hand it could be incredibly fun, too. Obviously, Wade knows what’s going on here in this city.

They’re surprised when they come across a limousine with a driver holding his name on a card. His Dad really thought of everything, didn’t he? A fond smile passes through him.

“That’s our ride,” he says and everybody moves into action. They load up their stuff and get into the vehicle. They don’t even need to tell their address, the chauffeur assuring them that he knows where they should go.

Arriving at the hotel, Peter admits that he understands why his Dad favored this particular hotel. Sure, there’s this huge casino on the ground floor much like every hotel has, but the way this hotel is designed to look like Ancient Rome. It’s amazing. There are fountains outdoors _and_ indoors! Valets greet them, telling them where to go to check in. And when they do the woman at the desk, dressed in a dark suit, smiles at them and hands them the keys to their rooms.

They’ve got the Penthouse, which has about three separate rooms itself. Ned and Harry bunk together, so do MJ and Shuri, and Johnny and Peter. Wade has assured them that he needs no room and can just sleep on the couch if necessary. He’s probably feeling lucky tonight, though Peter’s not sure how exactly he would get any woman – or man – to come up with him without scaring them off first.

Tony’s given them money to spend during their stay here. ‘Not too much’ he had said, but it’s still a lot more than Peter would have had before he’d known him. Harry’s got his own money, and so does Shuri who shares with MJ. Peter shares with Johnny and Ned, while Wade assures them he’s got himself covered, whatever that means.

Not that Peter’s really intending on losing everything on the games here. He would rather look around the city, maybe have a drink somewhere, dance around. Things he rarely got to do before due to his pills. And he knows that drinking too much is still not recommended, but he figures that this one time shouldn’t be too big a deal. His therapist even told him so, as long as it doesn’t become a habit.

The Penthouse is huge and even has two floors. Peter and Johnny’s bedroom is upstairs on the left, while MJ’s and Shuri’s is on the right. The other two room are downstairs. There’s a kitchen area and a dining room in case they order room service. The living room is about as large as the house Peter grew up in.

But having lived at the penthouse of Stark Tower, Peter’s not too shocked by it anymore. He’s pretty much used to this kind of luxury, though he can appreciate the different style they have going here.

It’s a nice suite. Peter likes it.

Having dropped his stuff in the room, Peter walks up to the window to look at the view. They’re on the top floor, staying in the more expensive rooms in this place. He wonders if his Dad ever stayed in this particular one, once?

The look outside is different from New York; while the city that never sleeps is still full of lights and constant movement, there’s something different about Vegas. Perhaps the colors, the ambiance. A lot is different, and Peter feels some tingles at the thought of going out there and have a look around.

“You okay?”

Peter smiles. He turns to Johnny and reaches out a hand for him to take, which Johnny does without question. Then Johnny wraps his arms around his middle, puts his head over Peter’s shoulder and the two just stand there at the window.

“I’m great,” Peter assures him.

“You ready to go crazy tonight?”

He chuckles. “Yeah, I am.” Peter then turns, throwing his arms around Johnny’s neck and just looking at him silently. He leans forward to steal a quick, short kiss. Johnny returns it with a quiet ease.

Then they pull away and quickly get dressed. Peter’s pretty much dressed like his Stark-alter-ego, though without the contacts and wig. Meanwhile, Johnny, much to his initial chagrin, got some temporal hairdye on him per MJ’s suggestion. It washes out – as she assured them – and at least that way people won’t recognize him too much.

By the time everybody’s back downstairs, Peter’s got his hands tucked in his back pockets. His hair is slicked back while Johnny decided to keep his loose for a change. In the spirit of _not_ being an obnoxious couple they’re standing on the complete opposite side of each other. It’s what they always do, but Wade, not having been a part of their get-togethers lately, does seem to notice it as if it’s the first time they stand apart from each other.

“Whoa, trouble in paradise?” He asks.

Do be fair, they’ve often attempted to avoid him. The truth is, it’s not easy not to attract attention to themselves when the guy seems intent on constantly wearing his suit, now added with an extra tuxedo and a freaking top hat!

“What? No, what makes you think that?” Peter frowns at Wade while holding up his hand in a questioning gesture. Nobody waits for his answer. MJ rolls her eyes, grabbing Wade by the arm and walking forward to get things going. Peter gives Johnny a quick glance, finding him shrugging in return.

No need to linger further about it. They head to their first stop, this one being the Ferris wheel. They get a view of the city, Peter takes some pictures both of the view and from his friends. At one point he even snaps a shot of MJ and Ned leaning together as they look at something funny on his phone.

They eat at the Top of the World Restaurant where they drink probably a little bit too much. They might be a bit tipsy when they get back down on the strip, where they walk along the street and take some pictures with a Captain America-, Spider-Man- and Dr. Strange-impersonator. A lot of people even ask Wade for a picture since he’s _still_ wearing his Deadpool costume, though right here people don’t even assume it’s the real deal. Many compliment him on the authenticity of the suit, to which he responds that his ‘momma’ made it.

Peter takes some more pictures and he thinks they look amazing. They go to the Chandelier bar at Cosmopolitan where they drink some more, probably step over the border of ‘tipsy’ and get to actual drunk. That’s probably where things should have stopped, but since they’re in Vegas that’s not at all what they do.

* * *

##  April 24th, 2025

Though Peter doesn’t know what it’s like to have a knife stabbed in his head, he can pretty much imagine it being as painful as this. Though, if you’re stabbed in the head you’re most probably already dead by the time you realize it, so it could as well be even less so.

He knows he’s in bed. When he opens his eyes for a few seconds he can recognize the bedroom he’s chosen with Johnny, though it seems like they forgot to close the curtains so the sunshine of the morning infiltrates the room. Peter grunts and turns around.

Instinctively he wraps his arm around Johnny’s middle, who makes an annoyed sound at first but then leans back against Peter to get even closer. The fact that neither of them are wearing clothes is enough explanation of their situation, though Peter feels a bit bad that he can’t even remember it.

“How did we get back here?” Johnny mumbles, barely audible. Peter sighs.

“I dunno. I can’t remember anything…”

“Urgh.” Johnny turns around to snuggle up to Peter. He kisses him in the neck while almost not even moving an inch.

“Johnny, I’m not in the mood for sex,” Peter complains.

“Neither am I, dude. I just wanna cuddle up to my man if that’s alright.”

Peter rolls his eyes before closing them again. “Fine,” he agrees. “But if you’re gonna puke on me you can forget about sex for at least a month.”

“In that case.” Johnny pulls away from Peter and gets on his feet, more graceful than Peter would have expected from somebody having a massive hangover.

“Where are you going?” he asks, sitting up while squinting – the light is just too bright. His head hurts so much.

“I’m not just doing this because you threatened to withhold sex, just so you know.” Johnny disappears in the bathroom, and before Peter can ask for an explanation he can hear Johnny losing the entire content of his stomach into the toilet. Peter makes a face and rubs his head.

“Gross,” he complains. When he feels something hard and metal scratch against his skin he frowns and pulls his hand away to check out what’s wrong. Despite his headache, his eyes widen at the sight he finds in front of him.

“Hey Peter?” he hears Johnny huff out.

“Y-yeah?” Peter stammers.

“Did we get married?”

Looking at the golden band on his finger, he figures that, yeah, they did.

“Shit…”

“Oh it was golden. We were walking around after everybody gambled away half of their money. And that’s when Peter suddenly found a jewelry store that was, surprisingly, still open.” Wade pops out a beer as he sits down on the couch.

“A jewelry store?” Peter groans in annoyance. They’re all sitting in the living room of the penthouse, finding that Shuri and MJ didn’t end up any better and wearing matching golden bands with white little diamonds in them.

“Yeah, it was hilarious. You saw it and were all like ‘I wanna get married in Vegas!’ so I suggested getting one of those marriage licenses you can get on the internet and voilà.”

“’Voilà’? You seriously helped us get married? How did you not think of stopping us?!” MJ complains loudly, though Ned and Harry are losing it on the couch as they look over the pictures they must have taken of the night. Peter is in no hurry to look them over. He has his arms crossed, seated next to Shuri who looks like her headache is just as bad as Peter’s.

“You seemed really excited about it. Besides, I wasn’t exactly sober so you can’t really blame me.” Wade fishes out two wedding contracts, each one from the different pairs. Johnny snatches it out of his hands and looks it over in annoyance, while MJ seems to want to stay away from it as far as she can.

“Wade did you officiate the wedding?” Ned asks with a frown as he holds out his phone. Johnny takes it from him to take a look, and Peter can catch a peek as well, finding the two of them, hand in hand, with Wade between them, still wearing his suit and a tux on top of it.

“You bet I did!”

“Then is it even legal?”

A glimmer of hope. Maybe Wade doesn’t have the jurisdiction to marry people? It could be possible, right?

“Uh, I know I started with that online thing to officiate weddings one time, but I never really finished it.”

There’s a sigh of relief. So they might have gotten fake-married, but in reality they’ve done no such thing. They’re safe. Peter leans back on the couch and he sees MJ do the same, both of them letting out a breath

When their eyes meet, Peter lets out a laugh. Not that this situation is funny, but at the moment he’s trying to imagine himself explaining all of this to his family. Yeah, it’s good that the entire thing had been fake.

Yet he nervously toys with the ring around his finger rather than taking it off.

* * *

##  April 27th, 2025

He doesn’t explain it at home because there’s nothing to tell. The moment he arrives back from their three days in Nevada, he dives into further research for his paper. 

The fact is, Peter thinks back of the pictures Wade took. He imagines the people getting their hands on that. If word goes out that he got married to Johnny Storm in Vegas, there would be a media outbreak – either they would think Peter Parker and Peter Stark are the same person, or they would suggest Johnny cheated on him with himself.

He doesn’t even dare to mention anything to FRIDAY, knowing that Tony could stumble upon his search history.

So that evening as Peter’s in bed at the tower he looks up at the ceiling with a heavy feeling in his heart. His mind is going in overdrive; just a few days ago he had been thinking about asking Johnny to move in together, and now they almost got married? And they can’t even remember their fake wedding? This is all ridiculous. Peter sighs and moves his head to the side. Before they got on their flight back home Wade sent them all the pictures of the evening in a group chat. It’s mostly horrifyingly embarrassing to look at, but when he gets to the picture of himself with Johnny at the altar he stops for a moment.

Okay, so he wouldn’t have imagined getting married to Johnny anytime soon. He never imagined anything like that with any of his past girlfriends, just because he figured it would never last long enough since he’s such a mess to deal with.

But another part of him tells him that he didn’t give them enough credit. After all, the only reason MJ moved on from him is because _he_ kept on sabotaging their relationship by giving excuse after excuse just so he wouldn’t have to be alone with her – not because he didn’t want to be with her, but because he wanted to avoid further embarrassment.

The thing is, even as he’s with Johnny the thought is still there; they’re not going to last, they’re probably not going to stay together and raise a family. But that’s not stopping Peter from enjoying the moments he _can_ have with him. Because, right now, he loves Johnny. And perhaps, maybe, things _might_ work out, and maybe they _will_ get married in the future. One can never be too sure about that.

Peter had hidden the ring in his pocket while Steve and his Dad were still awake, but now with everybody sleeping he takes it back out to have a look at it. On the inside there’s a hastily engraved inscription in it; their names, and the date of the fake-wedding. They actually put a lot of effort into this for a spur of the moment thing. Did they actually think this all was real?

In fact, is it possible that being drunk brought out an urge inside of Peter that he never thought he had? The first thing he suggested, when he saw the store, was to get married? That could only come from a former thought about it, no?

He barely thinks as he puts the ring back on and looks at it. It’s not too bad on his finger. It’s a sight he could get used to; the ring is simple gold. There’s nothing much about it. But it’s real, and it’s there.

And Peter kinda doesn’t want to take it off.

His phone goes off, a warning of an incoming text. Peter startles and grabs his phone, nearly ripping the cord of the charger in the process. He unplugs his device and unlocks it quickly to see who it is.

His heart stops when he sees it’s Johnny.

  * _Hey, u awake?_



Peter smiles faintly. He squints from the brightness of the screen, waiting for it to adjust itself to its surrounding.

  * **_Something’s up?_**
  * _Nvm, it’s probably stupid._



Peter wonders shortly why they’re communicating by text; Johnny is usually more a fan of calling, which means that he’s nervous about something. That could be very good _or_ very bad.

  * **_C’mon dude, tell me._**
  * _Okay, so ur gonna think I’m crazy but I kinda maybe like having this ring on my finger?_



Whoa, it’s almost like he’s read his mind! Peter’s eyes go back to the ring as he blinks at it in confusion.

  * **_Same_**
  * **_What do you want to do about it?_**
  * _Are you asking me to propose?_



Huh, but that would mean…

  * **_Dude no!_**
  * _I mean, not that I don’t like the idea but isn’t it a bit too soon? ;-)_



Peter hesitates a moment. His entire life he’s kept himself back, ruined relationships with his constant need of caution. His first instinct right now even is to just stop fooling himself and end this whole thing. But doing the careful thing has always ended with him being single again eventually. And that’s something he really doesn’t want right now.

He likes being with Johnny.

  * **_I suppose now isn’t exactly the right time to ask you to move in with me?_**



He sends it before he can think better of it, and of course he regrets it instantly. What has he done? Through text? Seriously? He couldn’t have done that in person like any other sane person would do?!

  * _Sure but I’m not moving to Massachusetts. We’ll look for a place in NY, kay?”_
  * **_Love you._**
  * _Love you, too, fake-husband ;-)_



And that moment, right there, is where Peter’s heart nearly stops. He reads the words over and over, again and again. But each time the result is the same.

Johnny told him he loves him. Finally. And sure, it’s been through text, but so far he’s always said stupid things like ‘ditto’ or ‘I know’ to respond to it. This is good, no, great even. Peter smiles and puts the phone against his chest while he tries to fall asleep. After a few more seconds his phone goes off again, this time it’s a call.

Peter frowns, looking at his device and seeing that it’s Johnny. In a slight panic that something might have happened in those few seconds since the last text he picks it up, almost smashing the phone against his face.

“Johnny?” he asks, not bothering to stay quiet since all rooms here are soundproof.

“ _I love you_.”

Peter’s breath catches. It’s quiet for a moment as he tries to think of a respond.

“Uh, I love you, too,” he assures him.

“ _No, that’s not- Peter; I LOVE you. I’ve never loved anybody in my life like I love you. And I’ve loved you for a while now, but I never really realized it until now. Until I got this probably way too expensive fake-ring on my finger and said ‘yes’ to you drunk off my ass. I love you, I love you, I love you.”_

“Johnny, are you alright? You’re kinda scaring me?”

“ _I’m amazing, Peter. Because I’m in love with the most amazing person in the world. And we’re going to move in together, and sure we’ve lived together before but now it’s going to be different because now we’re an actual couple rather than friends and I think that’s amazing.”_

Peter chuckles. “You’re an idiot,” he tells him fondly. He rubs his eyes, lets out a silent yawn and feels sleep slowly taking over.

_“An idiot you fake-married.”_

“Yeah, yeah, whatever, I was drunk. Just get some sleep, okay?”

“ _Okay. Good night. I love you, Pete.”_

Peter can’t help his dopey smile. His face feels red, his heart not at all calming down.

“I love you, too.”

“ _I love you more_.”

Peter rolls his eyes. “We’re not doing that.”

“ _Yes we are.”_

“No, we aren’t.”

“ _Baaaaaabe!”_

Peter sighs. “Good night, dreamboat.”

_“Good night, person that I love.”_

Okay, so it’s obvious that Johnny’s never actually loved somebody like this before. It’s a bit endearing to be fair, but right now Peter wants nothing other than sleep.

Peter hangs up, though the smile stays on his face the entire night, and he enjoys this warm feeling inside quite a lot.

* * *

##  May 29th, 2025

He’s late. He’s very aware of how late he his, but he can’t help it!

How’s it his fault that that man suddenly ran off with that old woman’s purse? Or that three guys were breaking and entering not much farther away from where Peter stopped the mugger? And surely he couldn’t have known that there would have been a building on fire three streets from his initial destination.

So yeah, his phone goes off in the middle of his trip inside a burning apartment building, and he immediately knows who it is, even before the name appears in front of the screen.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m late! Don’t need to remind me!” He grunts when he tries to avoid a burning pillar dropping down on him. Crap he seriously needs to hurry.

“ _Dude I’m not going inside without you! Your Dads hate me!”_

“They don’t hate you, Johnny,” Peter counters. When he stumbles over the remnants of a chair he lets out a small shout. Something pokes him in the ribs and it’s not comfortable at all. “Ow, that wasn’t nice. But I’m serious. I mean, sure my Dad is a bit har on you sometimes but that’s only because I’m his only son and whatever else.”

“ _Yeah, yeah, you know the only reason he doesn’t like me is because he thinks I’m a slut.”_

“He doesn’t think you are a slut! Jesus, Johnny, nobody thinks that! Besides, my Dad was probably even worse than you back when he was younger!”

“ _Yeah, okay, well, there’s still something that makes him hate me and I don’t know what it is.”_

Peter finally finds the final remaining people hiding away. He smashes the door open and quickly guides them through the tunnel of flames until he gets to a window. There he helps them down with his webs.

Again, they don’t hate you, they just… worry is all. Besides, Steve likes you a lot! You’re just too worried to see it, is all.”

Okay, now the last one is down. Time to get out of there and now on a straight line to Stark Tower! No moment to waste!

Peter makes ready to jump out, only to feel the floor shake underneath him. Every part inside of him starts tingling; a warning that something is to come. He turns to see what it might be, only to hear the cracking sound of something on top of him.

“Oh shit,” he mutters. And just as he can hear Johnny ask ‘what?’ it drops down on top of him, sinks down a couple of floors until if finally comes down on the ground, followed by all the debris of the floors they’ve passed. It all comes down on Peter who grunts in pain.

“ _Pete? Babe, are you there?”_

“I’m- I’m there,” Peter assures him, though the words don’t come out easily. Something hurts an awful lot in his belly and he’s pretty sure that it’s caused by something breaking through his skin. Great, now he got stabbed by a burning building.

“ _What happened?”_

“Just a building that collapsed on me,” Peter groans. Nothing he hasn’t been through before, though getting stabbed by what’s probably wood sure is new on that list. He throws his head back while he tries to even his breath, but even with the powers of his suit he finds that air is getting difficult to come by.

_“A building?!”_

“Don’t worry, I’ll get out of here,” Peter assures him. He tries to push off most of the debris but it’s awfully heavy in this position. Yet he still manages to get the big pillar off. “Shit, that was- that was hard.”

“ _I’m coming your way.”_

“No, no, no! You’re all dressed up for the party! Don’t ruin your clothes.”

“ _Never mind my fucking clothes! I’ll get you. In case you forgot, fire is kinda my thing.”_

Peter grunts, starting to feel lightheaded. “You’re- you’re probably right.” His eyes fall shut, his teeth gritting together. Crap, crap, crap. “Johnny, are you still there?”

There’s no answer. Peter breathes out heavily, feeling almost no air coming back in return. He’s going to suffocate here, just because he’s been too distracted. This isn’t exactly the way he thought he would go. But he’s not going to go. Johnny’s on his way.

Johnny’s on his way.

Peter closes his eyes and leans his head back on the floor. And with every passing second he can feel his consciousness leaving him.

Until it suddenly doesn’t. He’s barely aware of somebody calling out his name. Answering takes a lot more effort so he just lets out a small groan; nothing loud enough for anybody to hear.

“Peter, God damnit are you there?”

He can’t answer. Each time he tries he starts coughing. And that hurts his ribs and the wound in his lower belly.

“Pete!”

He attempts to open his eyes, but the fire is too bright for him. With a whisper he asks Karen to initiate sunglasses-mode, but as nothing happens he realizes he’s no longer wearing his mask. He must have taken it off in his delirium.

He has no idea how much time has passed when Johnny finally finds him. Just suddenly he’s there, crouching down next to Peter, looking worried. His clothes have all burned off and now he’s only wearing the suit that he always wears underneath.

“Oh baby!” Johnny pulls him up, hugging him tightly against his chest. “I’m going to get you out of here, okay?”

Peter smiles. With a shaking gesture he puts his hand on Johnny’s cheek, though his eyes can’t open from all the smoke.

“My hero,” he tells him. Johnny laughs.

“I’m pretty sure you’ve saved me more than I’ve saved you. Just don’t go into burning buildings like that.”

“Okay.” Peter smiles lazily, allowing Johnny to pick him up from the ground.

“C’mon, let’s get you patched up.” Johnny starts walking, but Peter doesn’t look. This feels good; his eyes closed, being carried out. True, he’s been in far worse situations and walked out without a scratch. That falling pillar had just been bad luck he should have seen happening before it came crashing down. They say something about not calling and driving. The same should be said about calling and storming into a burning building.

Peter can finally breathe when they’re outside. Though he leans in closer against Johnny in their flight, he does manage to open up his eyes a little bit. Mid-inspiration, Peter starts coughing again, which hurts his ribs once more. Johnny calms him with a kiss against his forehead and moves forward until Peter can see they’re approaching not Stark Tower but the Baxter Building instead.

“Can’t bring you like this to your Dad’s birthday party now, can I?” Johnny jokes. Peter chuckles, though gritting his teeth when he’s put down and gets to stand on his own two feet again. Unable to take his eyes off Johnny, he moves forward and wraps his arms around his shoulder.

“Thank you,” he tells him with a hoarse voice. Johnny throws his arms around Peter’s middle and chuckles.

“Don’t ever do that again, okay?” Johnny warns him.

“What, act like a complete Newb in the superhero business by rescuing people and calling my boyfriend at the same time?” Peter leans up against Johnny, feeling a bit weak in his legs. He’s probably bleeding, he needs Sue and Reed to look it over quickly before he worries his Dad even more.

“Alright, lesson for Johnny; don’t call your boyfriend when he’s being the hero. Got it.” Johnny kisses him on the top of the head before he pulls away. “Now come on, I need to bring you back to your father at least a bit decent.”

Holding hands, the two head inside the building. So they’re an hour late. Peter’s done worse than that.

* * *

## June 14th, 2026

Love is great. Love is wonderful. Who wouldn’t want to be in love? It’s all sunshine and rainbows and happy endings where everybody smiles and no tear is shed.

That’s what Hollywood tries to make you believe. But to be fair, Peter’s about ready to pull his hair out at this point. And no, this is not about the pills! For once, his medication has absolutely nothing to do with it!

“Pete, c’mon, I said I was sorry!”

Peter grunts bitterly as he swings up and kicks a Doombot in the head, making it fly right off. If the head flew off in Johnny’s direction, he can always say it wasn’t intentional.

“Did you just kick that head at me?!”

Or he noticed. Whatever. Peter’s still fuming at the moment. Johnny seriously needs to shut up or-

“What’s going on? A little lover’s spat?” Ben asks in amusement. Sue and Reed seem to ignore everything that happens. The only reason Peter even joined in on this ‘mission’ of theirs is because he seriously needed something to punch. Something that isn’t Johnny.

“Mind your own business, Grimm!” Johnny warns him.

“Are you kidding me? Matchstick got his boyfriend angry? I wanna know more!” Ben hurls a bot in the air and it smashes against a building. But as he took care of that one, another one quickly takes it place. It’s like it never ends.

And it gets on Peter’s nerves.

“Seriously, Spidey, what did he do?” Ben asks curiously. Peter glares at him before flipping him off. “Oh, must be something seriously infuriating. Wouldn’t wanna be you right now, Storm.”

“Guys, can you knock it off, please?!” That’s Sue, obviously taking pity on the two of them, though Peter’s pretty sure she would side with Peter in an instant, knowing what Johnny’s like, having grown up with him.

Peter doesn’t get out a word. He doesn’t want to. By the time the battle has died down and the Four assemble to give their statement Peter prepares to swing off silently. He doesn’t need this right now. To be fair, all he wants is to just return to the tower for a moment. Or his Aunt’s, that’s perhaps better. Though, May might let Johnny in if he were to come by, while he could just ask FRIDAY not to do that.

The tower it is. With any luck his Dad isn’t there and he doesn’t need to explain what’s going on.

Still, before he can make it to one block he’s intercepted by Johnny who flies above him, takes him by the arms and flies away, completely ignoring Peter’s sound of protest.

To prevent him from swinging away, he takes them all the way to the Statue of Liberty, getting onto the torch where Johnny drops him at last and flames out.

“What the fuck, Johnny?! You’re just kidnapping people now?!”

Johnny rolls his eyes. “Please, don’t be so dramatic. If you’re acting like a child I need to treat you like a child.”

“A CHILD?!” Peter takes off his mask and grabs at his hair, groaning in annoyance. “The only child here are you, Johnny!”

“I told you I was sorry!”

“So you’ve said! But do you even know what’s bothering me so much? Or are you just apologizing because you know I’m mad?”

Johnny looks hesitant, knowing that he needs to tread careful here.

“Because of the dishes?” he tries. Peter glares at him and throws a web bomb in his direction, though Johnny easily evades it. “Okay, so not the dishes. Got it! So then what? Did I miss something? It can’t be our anniversary, that’s only in two weeks so…”

“Oh, thank God you at least know when’s our anniversary.”

Now it’s Johnny’s turn to glare at him. He puts his hands on his hips and takes a defensive stance. “Hey, don’t act like I don’t care about this relationship! You know how I feel about you!”

“For crying out loud- Of course I know you love me. You only tell me three times a day at least. I love you, too. But I’m also mad and I want you to figure out by yourself what I can possibly be mad about.”

Peter’s a bit calmed down, which is why he’s not yelling at this moment.

“You’re not being very helpful here,” Johnny mutters as he starts pacing with a hand against his chin while he thinks. Peter is very curious, now, if he’s going to find it out. He watches him, go right. Go left. Go back right, and then left again. When he notices Peter staring at him he frowns.

“I didn’t forget to take out the trash, did I?”

“You did, but that’s not it.”

Johnny continues his pacing. It takes about two minutes before he finally stands still, dropping his arms and widening his eyes in realization.

“Oh,” he gets out, looking shamefully at Peter with a red face. Peter has his arms crossed, tapping his foot while he waits for further detail from Johnny’s conclusion. “Your Aunt’s lunch. That was today, wasn’t it?”

Peter nods. “And can you just imagine everybody’s reaction when my so beloved significant other wasn’t there to join me? All I got this afternoon were questions. ‘where’s Johnny?’, ‘Is there trouble in paradise?’, ‘Did you guys already break up?’. They kept on going!”

“Why didn’t you just call me?” Johnny tries.

“I did call you. About five times. Each time I left a voicemail. Would be handy if your phone was on.” Johnny immediately reaches for his pocket, only realizing that he’s in his suit. His phone must still be at home.

“Damn it,” Johnny mutters before sighing. “Listen, babe, I’m really sorry.” Johnny walks up to him, kneeling down and taking Peter’s hands into his own. “I should have been there, I know it. Your aunt cooked for me, and I didn’t show up and that wasn’t cool of me. I’m so sorry.”

Peter stays quiet. He knows that the next words he’ll say will be ‘Of course I forgive you’, but he doesn’t want to give in that easily so he keeps his mouth shut.

Though when Johnny puts his head onto Peter’s lap and almost starts to cry like a pained dog, Peter can’t exactly contain himself. He starts to laugh, pulling his hands free to put them on Johnny’s head. He passes his fingers through his hair and makes him look up.

“I know you’re sorry,” he agrees. He then kisses his lips tenderly before pulling away. “But don’t think I’m letting you off the hook that easily.”

“Oooh, I’m shaking in my boots. What will it be? No sex this week? After the abstinence I’ve handled so far, that will be a doozy.” Johnny winks at him. Peter just pats his cheek twice before getting up with a wide smirk. Still, he doesn’t say anything.

He hears Johnny get on his feet behind him.

“Seriously, what is it?”

No answer.

“Pete?”

Still nothing.

“Babe?”

Peter’s close to the edge now. He turns around one last time, winking at Johnny and putting on his mask before dropping down from the torch, leaving a confused Johnny on the top.

For the rest of the week, Johnny’s on kitchen duty. Though not at their house.

Oh, no, no. At May’s, instead.

* * *

##  June 30th, 2026

To be fair, they probably should have expected this to happen eventually. And really, it’s a wonder it hasn’t happened sooner.

Peter’s all disguised up, wearing the wig and the contacts and clothes that cost even more than his rent. Johnny’s just himself, though dressed nicely in a tux he bought especially for this occasion, or so Peter should believe.

They’re celebrating Peter’s graduation, but along with that it’s their one-year anniversary. They’ve gone all the way with reservations and a dinner that costs almost more than his whole college tuition. And their first mistake of the evening had probably been forgetting to take off the Vegas-rings they’ve been wearing around their necks since it (almost) happened.

Yeah, they might have forgotten all about it, so by the time Johnny’s ex comes to greet them at their table with her own date in tow, it’s already too late to hide it away again without it being too obvious.

“Johnny! Oh my God, fancy seeing you here!” Mel leans forward to kiss Johnny on the cheek before turning to Peter and giving him a wide smile. “And Peter. It’s been a while.”

“It has been,” Peter agrees, taking the hand she’s holding out to him and shaking it.

“Mel, how have you been?” Johnny asks politely while taking his wine glass in his hands.

“I’m great. Oh, and by the way this is David. He’s my date this evening.”

The man, David, waves awkwardly, seeming a bit shocked that his date is talking to these two celebrities as if she’s known them her entire life.

“Hello, David,” Johnny greets the man by holding out his hand as well. David shakes it awkwardly with a funny smile on his face.

“Mr. Storm.” Then he turns to Peter. “Mr. Stark.”

“David.”

Peter would have expected for her to move on after that, let them enjoy their dinner and leave them alone. Sadly, it seems like she has absolutely no idea what to do in a situation like this one. She keeps standing there, hooking her arm into David’s and leaning her head onto his shoulder.

“So, what’s the occasion?” she asks. Peter clears his throat while Johnny answers.

“It’s our one-year anniversary,” Johnny admits proudly. “Next to that, Pete here finally graduated, and now we’re going to move in together officially.”

“Oh, congratulations!” Mel sounds so excited about everything Johnny says. “Found a place here in New York somewhere?”

“Yup. Nice and cozy, just perfect for a young couple, no?” Johnny smiles brightly at Peter, who rolls his eyes but still chuckles.

“It’s small but we liked it a lot. We didn’t want to go too bombastic,” Peter clarifies.

“Oh, I’m so happy for you!”

And it’s not fair, Mel’s a nice person. She’s friendly, sweet and kind. But she also used to date Johnny at a very crucial moment in Peter’s life and that part of him that had started to hate her is still inside there somewhere.

“C’mon, dear, we should let them enjoy their evening in peace,” David urges on, pulling on Mel’s arm a bit. And Peter could almost kiss the guy for saying that.

“Oh, you’re right.” Mel nods at Peter and Johnny with red cheeks. “I’m so sorry, I never realize when I’m intruding. Enjoy your date, and congratulations.”

She finally walks off with David, heading to the other side of the restaurant where she apparently has some reservations. Johnny is still smiling after she’s gone. Peter notices it immediately and hates himself for feeling this wave of jealousy.

Johnny of course wouldn’t be Johnny if he didn’t notice it immediately.

“You’re jealous,” he points out with a grin. Peter startles from the words, actually dropping his knife and fork as he looks back up at Johnny.

“I’m not!” he counters stubbornly.

“Yeah you are, I can see it in your face.” Johnny points with his fork to Peter, gesturing it up and down. “It’s those rosy cheeks. I remember you looked like that whenever somebody would talk to Felicia back at school.”

“That’s not- I’m not jealous! Shut your stupid mouth.” Peter picks up his fork and stomps his mouth full of the pasta he ordered. If he’s chewing he can’t answer to whatever Johnny is telling him. Though he has to admit that his face does feel warm at being found out like that.

“You’re adorable when your jealous,” Johnny sighs happily, resting his head on his hands while he looks at Peter with an adoring look. “It’s also kind of hot.”

Peter rolls his eyes. Of course he’s going to jump straight to sex in this conversation.. But to be fair, they haven’t really done anything in the past two weeks, and knowing Johnny he’s starting to get a bit restless.

Peter still appreciates the patience he has for him. Johnny knows Peter’s sexual appetite is very limited and he respects it. Just because he brings up sex once or twice doesn’t mean that he’s pushing it onto Peter. The choice is still there, and depending on how Peter is feeling something happens.

He clears his throat awkwardly after Johnny licks his lips and blinks a couple of times. Great, not the heat in his face spreads throughout his entire body. With a bit of difficulty he swallows through the contents in his mouth and then picks up his glass of water, downing it in one go.

Johnny reaches out a hand, passing his fingers over Peter’s wrist before wrapping them around it.

“What do you say, lover? Wanna get out of here? Celebrate our anniversary _very_ good?”

This time Peter intentionally drops his cutlery, freeing his hand from Johnny’s as he lifts it up in the air.

“Check, please!” he calls out. Johnny simply chuckles, knowing he’s succeeded.


	3. The End

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I felt kinda wrong writing this, given the fact that I've put so much attention into this pair - even more than I intended to do. I kinda hated myself for a while that I chose to have Peter end up with MJ in the end as I've grown to love Johnny and Peter together, too. But I also love MJ, and I shouldn't change the story because of this.  
> It's shorter than the previous two chapters. My apologies for that. There will be an epilogue, which is why a 4th chapter is added to the count.  
> The first date in the story is at the same time the start of an upcoming story I'm planning to write where our group of friends is sent through time, all the way back into WWII, where they all see things that leave them scarred the moment they get back. This leaves a mark on Peter, given the fact that he's already dealing with mental issues, but because I didn't want those mental issues to be the biggest part in the story I've decided not to focus on it TOO much. In the first few stories a great deal of attention has already been given to Peter's psychological problems and how he deals with them. I was originally not even intending on adding the part of the new story, but I figured it would be unrealistic for them not to have any kind of PTSD after such a thing happening.  
> Like the title says, this is the end. If you don't want to read about Peter and Johnny breaking up, I suggest you stop reading the moment the date gets to New Year. At least until then it can end on a happy note.  
> Further chapter warnings in End notes!! 
> 
> Enjoy (as much as possible), I'll try to clean the wounds with the epilogue.

##  July 4th, 2026

The name had been mentioned a couple of times in the past year or so: Vintage Underground.

No, it’s not a secret vintage-club that has hidden meetings that were absolutely not meant to be public. Neither to their get-togethers happen underground. It was more of an attempt at a catchy name, and catchy it became.

The first edition of Vintage Underground happened approximately four years ago in Chicago. The VU-organization would rent off a location and they would dress it up exactly like it would have looked like in the 40’s. There’s music from a live band that focuses on music from that time, old household items were hunted down (like the classic cereal boxes, or old telephones…) and put into a photobooth corner. There were styling-corners for the people who wanted to go for a complete vintage look, and let’s not forget about the dancefloor.

Yeah, the first edition had been a hit, and they’ve traveled around the States a lot after that one. They’ve been to New York once before, but whenever that was, they must have missed it. The first time Tony even stumbles upon it is only one week before it actually happens.

“So it’s, like, supposed to take you, metaphorically, back in time and make you feel like you live in a glorified version of the 40’s.” Peter watches how Tony hands Steve the flyer. He blinks twice before looking back down and taking another sip from his soup.

With a break from school this summer, Peter’s decided to spend time with his family again, much like the good old times. Or, one part of his family, since May is working up until nine today. They’ve already planned on spending the day together tomorrow, instead. 

“Sounds swell,” Steve points out while he looks over the flyer, taking in the pictures printed upon it.

“Yeah, apparently it’s very popular to the younger generations, but there are, though only a few, elder soldiers that have survived the war that sometimes come by to get a taste of that familiarity.”

“Nostalgia is a bitter, yet wonderful thing,” Steve agrees with a sigh. “Next week, huh?

“You wanna go?”

“Of course, I need to see just how accurate they are in their work!” Steve drops the flyer and gives Peter a look. “What do you think, son? You want to come with us?”

For a short moment Peter tries to find an excuse not to go; he has school work (false, since he’s on his summer break), he’s going to hang out with Johnny (also not true today), he’s still feeling sick from the whole radiation-spider-poisoning thing (yet again, not true since that was more than a year ago now). Then, after passing all that through his head, he wonders to himself just why he’s thinking of not going, since it could actually be fun. He could go with his friends. Shuri’s in town, after all, and Harry also returned from his business trip two days ago.

Dude, they can make this into a complete group-activity! It’s going to be amazing!

“Yeah, totally! I’ll ask the whole bunch if they wanna come!” Peter exclaims, getting out his phone and getting into the group chat. There he gets up the suggestion of the party, the first one to answer being Shuri.

  * _SHURI: HELL YEAH!!!_
  * _MJ: Guess I’m going, too, then :-)_
  * _NED: I might come over later after work, yeah! Sounds neat!_
  * _HARRY: Duh_
  * _JOHNNY: Don’t have to ask me twice, babe, I’ll be there!_
  * _SHURI: urgh don’t do that, bunch of idiots._



Peter snorts and shakes his head, until he looks down and sees a notification appear.

 _Read by: Felicia_.

That’s weird. Peter hasn’t heard of her since that one day in the park where she gave him advice. She’s been in this group chat since the beginning, but… To be honest, Peter thought she left the conversation after they broke up. Now it seems like she’s still there.

But… what are the odds that she’ll come over, too? Slim, right? Peter shouldn’t worry. Though, it’s not worry that he feels. In fact, it would be rather amazing if she would join them. Make it feel like old times again.

  * _PETER: My dad will have some army uniforms made! He sounds pretty excited_.
  * _MJ_ : _I hope you don’t expect us girls to wear some stupid uniform, too, right?_
  * _SHURI: I wanna wear a pretty dress!_
  * _PETER: Don’t worry, you ladies can wear whatever you want ;-)_



“So, they’ll come?” Tony eventually asks when he comes to stand next to Peter, putting a hand onto his shoulder. Peter nods with a wide smile.

“Yup! They sound pretty excited, too.”

Tony chuckles and squeezes his shoulder a bit. “You know, son, I’m glad that you and Johnny, while being together, don’t lose track of your friends. It shows that you’re all a very good group.”

Peter smiles, looking down. “Thanks, Dad…” He leans to the side, resting his head against his Dad’s shoulder and looking out the window. The sun is setting, the birds heading to their sleeping places. New York is calm for a change. It’s good, since Peter’s not really intent on moving at all.

For some reason, despite feeling completely relaxed at this moment Peter still feels some uneasiness pass through him. As he sees the clouds approaching from the horizon, it almost feels like a storm is coming.

And how Peter’s wished it was only in a literal sense.

* * *

##  August 9th, 2026

The world has a dark, dark sense of humor.

Life comes and goes, in ever corner of the world one’s journey begins while the other ends. It’s this everlasting cycle that won’t ever stop, no matter how much you wish for it. People come to the world, often crying in anger for being pulled out of a nice, cozy place they once called home, but when it’s time to go emotions vary all around.

Some people are glad. Glad they’re being pulled out of their personal Hell. Or glad to see all the accomplishments they’ve achieved before reaching the end. Others are scared, afraid of what will follow after the light inside themselves dies out.

People cry, sad that it’s over before they could do all they want. Others are angry at themselves for giving up before they were ready. It goes on and on. And Peter, for one, has no idea how they all felt when it was their time to go.

Sure, they were afraid; who wouldn’t be. Things were exploding all around them, bullets flying in the air. One unlucky ricochet and it would bury itself right in your face. The grounds shook, people screamed, wishing for help.

It almost felt like the sun never shined at all, despite the fact that it was summer, still. It was just an eternal winter for all of them, in the end. A cold, indescribable winter.

Peter shudders, feeling a cold chill go through him despite the warmth of the day.

Johnny’s not home right now; he’s out somewhere with the Four. At least, that’s what he told him. Peter’s pretty sure that Johnny’s not better off than him, but he probably has a better way of dealing with it.

Peter drops his head into his hands, trying to count to ten inside his head. But with each number that comes out, a name joins as well. Edward, Maxim, Frances, Harold… It goes on and on, their faces appearing right in front of him. Their smiles turning grim, the life exiting their eyes.

“I’m sorry…” he mutters, wiping away a tear from his cheek. All these people he could have saved, but didn’t. All because he couldn’t reveal who he was. Not in that timeline.

Some part of him tells him he should go and see Steve; he would know what to do. But Peter’s pretty sure that seeing Steve will just make it worse right now. Even the thought of having him over makes Peter shake on the spot.

And his Dad is probably not such a good idea, either. Tony’s constantly worried about him. And he dealt with his PTSD a completely different way than Peter did, in the end.

His phone goes off. Peter startles, looking to the side and seeing his device light up the darkened room. It’s the middle of the day, but he’s never pulled up the blinds. The whole room is dark, making it feel like the eternal night he’s having inside his head.

He looks over to see who’s calling. _Johnny_. He’s probably worried. Peter almost decides to ignore it, but eventually realizes that it might bite him in the ass later on. With a deep sigh Peter takes his phone and picks up, putting it on speaker as he’s not that much in the mood to keep the device against his ear.

“Yeah?” he asks.

“ _Well hello to you, too, Babe…”_ Johnny sounds tired, too. It can’t be easy for him, either. He’s seen as much as Peter has, after all.

“Sorry… Just tired. What’s up?” He tries to sound more excited than he’s feeling. He shouldn’t push Johnny away; he loves him. The thought of Johnny leaving him because he’s being such a huge bastard literally makes him want to vomit on the spot.

“ _Just wanted to know how you were holding up. You left the apartment yet?”_

Peter looks around. “Not yet,” he admits. Johnny sighs.

“ _Pete, it’s been five days already…_ ”

“I know.” Johnny doesn’t need to point it out, Peter’s all too aware of how pathetic he’s being right now. He sighs loudly, wiping away a tear from his eye. “Johnny?”

“ _Hmm?”_

“Why- Why do you still love me?”

There’s a long silence on the other side. Either Johnny’s pondering over his answer, or he just doesn’t want to answer at all. It shouldn’t surprise Peter. Why would Johnny still love him, after all he’s done? Or hasn’t done, rather. He’d seen it all first-hand, after all. There’s no way to deny his sins.

“ _I love you because… you’re kind,”_ Johnny starts with a sigh. “ _You saw a side of me I never saw, myself. You’re gentle, honest, and you love with all your heart. I fell in love of you because of who you were, with me and with others. I am still in love with you because you are still you.”_

Peter lets out a soft sob, keeping his hand against his forehead while he tries to look away.

_“Peter, I love you so much that, if they would come and tell me that we actually got married in Vegas, I would celebrate rather than panic about it.”_

“You think- You think we’ll ever be? Married?”

Peter can hear him chuckle on the other side of the line. “ _Baby, just ask me right now and I have my answer ready for you in less than a second.”_

Now Peter laughs as well. “I don’t think I’m ready for that, just yet.”

“ _And that’s alright, Pete. We still have time. Boyfriends, husband… I’ll love you just as much.”_

Peter sighs with a smile. “Thanks, Johnny. I think- I think I’m going for a walk… Head to MJ’s for a bit.”

“ _I think that’s a great idea_.”

“Love you.”

“ _Love you, too.”_

* * *

##  August 11th, 2026

His nails are digging into Peter’s skin as he tries to hold on tightly. His eyes are closed, his mouth pressed into a thin line while he tries to keep quiet. He’s sweaty, the damp making his freckles glimmer into the soft light in the room.

It’s indescribable, really, this feeling that goes through him. It’s not the sex, not any thing of the physical kind. It’s just the two of them, sharing a love both of them find themselves incapable of explaining. When Peter leans forward to claim another kiss, Johnny follows with such ease. It’s simple, straightforward. There’s nothing complicated about it. Peter quickens his movements, feeling Johnny move his hands from his back to his hair, grabbing the strands and obviously not letting go.

“Pete, I’m-“ he starts, finally opening his eyes again.

“I know,” Peter returns. Pressing their foreheads together he doesn’t let go of his gaze. “Me, too.”

For a moment, he feels like they’re hovering from the bed. The ground has disappeared from underneath them, Johnny hanging on to him so tightly and Peter kissing marks all over his neck onto his shoulder. It just feels so good. So amazing.

But when he opens his eyes, Johnny’s looking at him with glazed eyes, blood dripping all over his face, a weak smile on his lips.

“Thank you, Peter,” Johnny mutters, putting a fist against Peter’s chest with tears in his eyes, that obvious sadness that he can’t say a ‘proper’ goodbye with all these people around them.

“Johnny?” Peter blinks in shock, sitting onto his knees and grabbing Johnny by the shoulder. The wound on his forehead just won’t stop bleeding.

“Pete…”

“Johnny!”

Peter gets onto his feet, jumping away from his dying boyfriend, almost expecting to bump up against the others. But there’s nobody here. There’s just Johnny, looking at him sadly.

“Pete? Pete talk to me.”

Now he’s talking nonsense! He must be, right? Peter puts a hand against his mouth, feeling his stomach turning over in a strong wave of nausea. He can’t- Johnny shouldn’t-

“Baby, I’m serious, come back to me. Pete?” There’s a hand on his cheek. One that can’t belong to Johnny since he’s all the way there and Peter’s all the way here. And he’s sitting down? Since when is he sitting down?

“J-Johnny?”

“That’s right, we’re right here, alright? I’m not hurt. We’re back home, we’re safe, okay Baby?” Johnny’s lips hover against Peter’s cheek while he holds on to him, and slowly the image of his dying boyfriend disappears at last. Peter sees that they’re still in their bedroom, just the two of them. The sun is still out, the sound of cars are coming from outside the windows. And Peter’s hunched down on the ground with his arms wrapped around his legs, the two of them extremely naked.

“Johnny, I…” Peter squeezes his eyes shut and shakes his head. “I think I need to go back to Dr. Thatch…” He’s out of breath, leaning up against Johnny almost like he can’t even support himself anymore.

“I was afraid you would,” Johnny admits. He kisses his cheek tenderly. “I just hoped it would pass, but…”

“But it won’t.” Peter feels Johnny wipe away a tear from his cheek. He looks up at him, blinking in fear and guilt. “You think I’ll ever be normal again?”

Johnny smiles, albeit still sadly. He snuggles closer to him, settling his head onto Peter’s shoulder. “No, I don’t think you’ll be normal. But then again, being normal is boring.” He takes Peter’s hand into his own and tangles their fingers together. “You think I’m normal?”

Now Peter chuckles, too. “You’re far from normal.”

“Thanks for the compliment, babe.” Johnny squeezes his fingers. “We’ll get you through this, one step at a time. I promise you that.”

* * *

##  August 13th, 2026

The office hasn’t changed much in the past few weeks. Peter’s been here almost his entire life, pouring his heart out, having this woman listen to him whenever things were getting too rough. She’s heard his entire story about his parents, Uncle Ben, Gwen, Harry… Heck, he might even have told her he’s Spider-Man in very subtle words. It’s never been outspoken, but… He’s pretty sure she knows.

It’s a rather large office, almost as big as his living room. There’s the desk where her computer is, but there’s also two couches right next to the windows. It gives the speaker a possibility to look outside and relax for a bit. Or, when a person has a fear of heights she would just pull down the blinds and the view would be gone.

Peter can see on her face that, while she’s not surprised he’s here, she rather wanted him not to be at all. The decision to stop with the medication had been such a large step forward, and when things seemed to go extremely well their meet-ups were diminished as well.

But now… Peter’s got a feeling that he’s going to be seeing her a lot more, again.

He sighs; Johnny’s outside. He refused to leave, but since he wasn’t allowed to sit in on the sessions, he assured Peter that he would be waiting for him. That had been half an hour ago, and so far Peter almost feels like they’ve barely talked at all.

So, eventually, Dr. Thatch draws her conclusion. She lowers her notebook and her pen and lets out a deep breath.

“I think you know what I’m going to tell you, here,” she starts. Her blonde hair, while neatly put up in a bun, starts loosening up at the side, releasing one or two strands to hang in front of her face.

“I’m getting back on the meds, aren’t I?” Peter’s smart. He can conclude this all on his own, after all.

“I think that’s the safest thing, yes.” She shakes her head. “You’ve been in an extraordinary situation, Peter. Unprecedented, too. Going back that far into the past, in that particular time period… Soldiers back then didn’t have the luxury of psychiatric health care like we do now, but I’m glad that you do.”

“So… all that work we’ve put into making me better in the past. It was all for nothing?”

Dr. Thatch sighs, leaning back in the couch while observing Peter deeply.

“It’s never for nothing. If anything, you’ve had a great time before the time-travel, right? As far as I remember, you were in a healthy relationship, you get along with your parents, school was going well. That still hasn’t changed unless you’re making it change.” She shuffles forward once more, leaning her elbows onto her knees while taking off her glasses. “Tell me, Peter. Is it not Johnny who is waiting outside because he’s worried? Because he loves you, too?”

“He is… outside, I mean. I’m not so sure about the ‘loving’- part, though…” Peter scratches his hair, lowering his gaze.

“When was the last time he told you he loves you?”

Peter looks up. Since when did he sign in for relationship-counseling? “Before this appointment started.”

“And how did that make you feel?”

“To be honest? Guilty. Like I don’t deserve it…”

Dr. Thatch nods again, though she still doesn’t pick up her notebook. Her gaze is almost burning him, it’s so strong. “Do you remember last time you felt like that?”

Peter nods. It had been after Gwen died. Whenever his Aunt used to tell him that she loves him, he would turn away, up to a point where he would eventually even avoid coming home while she was awake. It had been the biggest reason why she forced him to seek help in the first place.

“Do you remember the exercise I made you do, back then?”

“You made me list up the people that loved me, yes.” Back then, it had only been a short list. May, Harry… That must have been it. The exercise hadn’t been the best idea at that time, but now…

“Let’s hear them.”

Peter sighs. “Aunt May. My Dad. Steve. Uncle Rhodey. Aunt Nat, Uncle Bruce, Aunt Sharon, Aunt Pepper, Wanda, Vision, Sam, Bruce, Bucky… My friends… Johnny.”

“And do you think they are wrong for loving you?”

“I don’t- I just don’t want to keep bringing everybody down with me… People died because I couldn’t take action – People I could have easily saved, but didn’t because then I would have revealed myself to the past, which was forbidden. But isn’t it obvious that one crime outweighs the other by an immeasurable margin?”

“Peter, whether you would have been there or not, those soldiers would have eventually died on the battlefield. You can’t change the past, can’t keep people from dying…”

“But I could have at least tried, no?” Peter pulls his legs up and wraps his arms around them in an attempt to hide his tears. “Had I tried, Johnny wouldn’t have been-“

He stops, the image of him appearing, lying down in the mud, blood all over, on the verge of death. And he was just unable to do anything.

 _“Get out of the way, Peter!”_ MJ had shouted. Why had she been on the battlefield, even? Did she sneak in? She had been wearing a man’s uniform, too. “ _Let me handle this!”_

And all he could have done was look. There was no way to help. Nothing he could do to make sure his boyfriend wouldn’t die. Nothing…

Nothing…

“Johnny wouldn’t have been, what, Peter?”

Peter startles, the image of Johnny disappearing but the fear still being as strong as ever. He jumps up to his feet, giving Dr. Thatch a short look before heading for the door.

“Peter?” she calls out, but he’s already standing in the hallway, searching around, expecting to find Johnny sitting where Peter saw him last.

But he isn’t there.

Now Peter’s seriously sweating from the nerves. He looks over every seat, hoping not to find any trace of blood or another kind of struggle. He nearly runs around the corner, almost expecting to find some sort of carnage ahead of him. At the same time he can hear Dr. Thatch hurrying after him.

“Johnny!” Peter calls out. His throat almost feels like it’s closing off, his hands shaking. The steps he takes are unsteady but desperate to get to where he needs to be. “JOHNNY!”

“Peter, please calm down,” he hears behind him. Peter ignores her once more.

“JOHNNY!”

“Babe?”

There it is. That sound; Johnny. He’s right there, somewhere on Peter’s left. When he turns around, he finds his boyfriend standing there at the door to the bathroom. His hands are still wet from cleaning them; he must have rushed out after hearing him.

“Johnny!” Peter hurries to him, not even giving Johnny the chance to speak before wrapping his arms around him. “You’re alright!”

“Wha- of course I’m alright. I told you so last time, didn’t I?” Instead of pulling away, Johnny returns the hug.

“I saw you, a-a-and you were bleeding and-“

“I’m not bleeding now, alright? I promise.” Johnny kisses him on the forehead before pulling him closer once more. Peter simply drowns into the touch, never wanting to let go at all.

* * *

##  September 1st, 2026

It’s been such a long time since he’s just hung out with Harry without having Johnny or Liz joining them. Just the two of them, enjoying a moment alone while sharing a drink in an old café they used to go to when they were still in high school. Harry used to have a crush on the barista back then, though he never admitted to it.

That barista doesn’t work here anymore. It’s been a few years, the girl’s probably working right now, earning her keep with hard work. Because that’s how it is in this society, unless you’re the only heir of a company worth billions of dollars.

Sometimes Peter wishes he could go back to the time where his only worries were money and his grades. Life used to be… well, not simple, but easier, in a way.

Harry’s barely disguised, though so far nobody seems to have noticed him at all. He’s lighting up a cigarette, inhaling twice before breathing it back out and lowering his hand.

“It’s been a while, hasn’t it?” he asks. When he smiles, the scars on his face go up with his lips as well. He’s shaven recently, but Peter’s pretty sure he’s already intending on growing it back.

“It sure has,” Peter agrees. “So, how have you been?”

“Just fine.” Harry lifts up the cigarette again. Due to his sunglasses, Peter has no idea what he’s looking at. “Been thinking about poppin’ the question, you know?”

“The question?”

Harry chuckles, shaking his head. “You know? Asking her to marry me?”

Peter puts down his cup, eyeing Harry with wide eyes as his mouth drops open. Harry looks absolutely serious at this point, though Peter never thought he would have been joking about such a thing, either.

“That’s great, Harry!” Peter leans forward to pat him on the shoulder while Harry, probably, rolls his eyes behind his sunglasses.

“Yeah, well, as far as relationships go I’m actually more interested in yours at this point. You said you needed to talk, didn’t you? I’m listening.”

Peter clears his throat. Of course Harry would just get down to business like that.

“Right, uhm…”

“You finally gonna tell me about your sex-life, huh?” Harry rests his head upon his hand while smirking at Peter, who feels his cheeks redden from the comment.

“Well, uh… actually, yes…”

That startles Harry, who sits up again, immediately taking off his sunglasses and with that his only disguise.

“You’re… not joking, are you?”

“I’m serious.” Peter empties his coffee and puts it back down on the little plate, though he keeps on fumbling with the cup in anxiety while he tries to think about what to say next.

“I don’t- I kinda need your advise on something,” he admits. “In regards to… you know? Doing _it_?”

Harry laughs fondly. “Oh, my God you are just adorable. You can’t honestly think I believe you haven’t done it before, have you?”

Peter shrugs. “We tried once but I wasn’t a fan of it. So far, it’s always been Johnny to… you know? But I- maybe I wanna…” Peter sighs and presses his hands against his face. “Shit this is so embarrassing.”

“Peter, I’m not sure I get what you mean? Do you want Johnny to bottom for you?”

“What?!” Peter nearly jumps up in shock.

“I mean, it’s perfectly normal to want to switch it up for a bit, you know? I’m sure Johnny understands-“

“I don’t want Johnny to- It’s the other way around, you idiot!”

Harry stops speaking, blinking up at Peter.

“Oh, you’re- I mean- I kinda assumed because-“

Peter crosses his arms and leans back in his seat. “You assumed because what? It’s stereotypes, man! It’s not because he’s taller than me that-“

“Pete, why are you getting all worked up?” Harry leans forward and reaches out for him, putting a hand onto his arm. His eyes, once full lunacy and exhaustion now look well-rested and healthy, staring at him in an obvious worry. “I’m sorry I jumped to conclusions, but there’s no shame in-“

“Don’t say it out loud.” Peter bites his lower lip, realizing once again why he never talks about sex to anybody other than Johnny, and even then it’s rare for him to bring it up himself. Hell, when Johnny came up to him with the idea of being tied up by his webs Peter all but jumped out of the window.

Harry sits back down, letting out a loud breath and turning his head. He pulls up his cigarette again, taking a deep drag from it before puffing it out while barely opening his mouth. “You ask me for advice, yet you can’t even talk about it yourself. I wonder, couldn’t that just be the problem? Or is there something else bothering you?”

Peter’s face now feels warm and is probably beet red. He balls his hands into fists and looks everywhere but at Harry.

“You’re kinda being a jerk here, you know?”

“I’m not being a jerk, I’m just pointing something out to you.” Harry gives him a soft kick with his foot to get his attention. “I get it, you’re shy when it comes to sex. That’s alright, but when there’s something like this bothering you, you can either go to a sexologist or a friend, and guess what? This friend is willing to listen if the person seeking help can actually formulate the problem.”

Peter puffs in annoyance, yet doesn’t speak. He doesn’t even know where to begin.

“So what went wrong when you tried to bottom?”

Peter closes his eyes, takes another deep breath and just wishes that he had a bit of Harry’s shameless attitude to get himself through this bit.

“It overwhelmed me, I guess.” Peter crosses his fingers together, looking down at his nails. They’re freshly manicured due to him having made an appearance as the heir of Stark Industries only yesterday. In no time, they’ll be all messed up again. “It didn’t feel bad, but not good. And then when he- well, it suddenly felt like too much, like I was about to jump out of my skin, but not in the good, enjoyable way…”

“That’s odd. You think you got an overly sensitive prostate?”

“Urgh.” Peter drops his head on the table.

“Hey, it’s possible! But I think your spider-senses might also have something to do with it.”

Okay, now he’s got Peter’s attention for sure. He looks back up, waiting for Harry to elaborate.

“Think about it, it’s simple biology; a man and a woman, one part goes into the other.” Harry starts pointing it out with his hands, but Peter quickly reaches for him to stop him. Harry snorts. “Hence, you ‘topping’ feels good, because it’s a little bit like how it ‘normally’ is.” Harry still uses his hands to accentuate some words, though making it obvious it’s not his exact point of view.

“So what are you saying?”

“Well, if someone tries to enter you-“

“Ugh…”

“Oh, grow up. Anyway, when they do, your body sees it as an intrusion that is not normal. Thus you can’t enjoy bottoming for all the glory that it is.”

Peter might say a lot of things about Harry; he’s impulsive, talks before he thinks and often manages to anger people because he’s arrogant. But beyond that, he’s wiser than Peter keeps on imagining. For a while he might have gone into a downward spiral because of the disease he was born with; the sickness that was driving him crazy and slowly killing him. But after Helen Cho’s people worked their wonders on him he sobered up.

Harry has his scars, both physically as mentally; at points he would just shut down and stare ahead of him, head deep in thought. At the beginning, he would even sometimes just storm into Peter’s bedroom and start crying for all the sins he’s committed while being under the influence of the Goblin. But ever since getting better he wanted nothing else; to redeem himself. Which had been why Harry took on a suit after a while, picked back up the glider, not to make people miserable but to follow into Peter’s footsteps and help people.

But Peter knows that eventually playing the hero took its toll on him, too. He officially took over Oscorp, had such a large responsibility shoved onto him… Just to keep his sanity he had to cool off for a bit.

Their little team had a good run while it lasted, at least. Peter smiles when he thinks back of the time when he, Harry, Johnny, Felicia and occasionally Shuri would just get together and patrol the streets.

It’s funny how things change over time. Peter sighs somewhat fondly before his mind brings him back to the subject they were currently discussing.

“Oh, right, uh…”

“You want my advice, Pete?”

Peter shrugs. “Sure.”

“Practice.” Harry smirks, bringing his cigarette back to his lips. “Use fingers, toys, I don’t care. But practice a bit, until you can convince your body that it’s not a hostile intrusion. Don’t try the actual thing until you’re ready, though. Be patient.”

Peter lets out a deep breath, looking to the side, seeing the people of New York passing by. What are they thinking about, he wonders? Money? Sex? Their future? And the people at the table a bit from theirs. What are they talking about? They’re far enough away not to be able to hear them, but Peter could focus on their conversation if he’d want to.

“If you want, I’ll help you look up some nice toys.” Harry sticks out his tongue and winks. Peter rolls his eyes and shoves him against the shoulder.

“Stop being an ass.”

“Why am I the ass here when I’m trying to make sure yours is gonna get pleasure?”

Peter smacks his hands against his face, shielding his eyes away. “Oh my God, just stop!”

“Nah, man. I finally got to have a conversation about sex with you. Never letting that go ever in my life, that’s for sure.”

* * *

##  September 2nd, 2026

“A package for Peter Parker?”

“I didn’t order anything?”

“The message added to it said it’s from a Harry?”

“Oh no… Well, thank you.”

“No problem, bye.”

“Babe? Who was it?”

“Oh, Harry, you didn’t…”

“What-? Pete, is that a-?”

“Harry Osborn, I hate you…”

“Is that a present for me? Why would I need it when I have you? Unless…?”

“Okay, so I need to tell you something.”

* * *

##  September 30th, 2026

“A holiday?”

“Yeah!” Peter shuffles closer, holding out the tickets he had bought only a few days back. He smiles widely at him. “Look, a week to the mountains, just you and me and the snow.”

Johnny looks back in shock, though the expression on his face isn’t that easy to decipher. Is he displeased? Does he like the gift?

“But- why?”

“Oh, come on hot stuff! Don’t you just want to get out of here for a bit? You know, just have some… us-time?”

Johnny then smirks, throwing his arm over Peter’s shoulder and leaning his head down onto Peter’s. “I would love to have some us-time, but it’s just- don’t you have school?”

Peter shrugs as he puts his hand onto Johnny’s, pulling it onto his lap and entwining their fingers together. “Sure, but it’s not like I’m not ahead of everybody already. I worked things out with the teachers and as soon as I finish my projects in time it’s no trouble.”

“Hmmm.” Johnny sighs happily. “So just a week of us snowboarding and hot nights in the hotel?”

“Think again.” Peter takes his free hand to pull Johnny’s face closer to his, giving him a small peck on the lips.

“You got us a chalet of our own?”

“Exactly.” Peter smiles against Johnny’s mouth. The tickets he had on his lap fall down when Johnny gives him a light push on the shoulder, pushing him back against the couch with Johnny leaning over him.

For a moment they just look at each other. Peter’s hands are on Johnny’s back, his legs spreading apart to allow Johnny to fit between them. Instantly, it feels too hot in here with all his clothes on.

“Think you’re ready yet?” Johnny whispers into his ear. Peter rolls his eyes.

“Fuck off,” Peter complains, though his words are empty as he tries nothing to keep Johnny away from him.

“Wanna go practice a bit more?”

Peter rolls his eyes. “That’s really un-sexy.”

“On the contrary, I think it’s really- really sexy.” Engulfed by Johnny’s lips again, Peter hums out in disagreement, but eventually closes his eyes again and wraps his legs around Johnny’s middle. They don’t even bother to take off their clothes, Johnny rubbing up against Peter and causing for the two of them to make soft, gasping noises.

“If you mess up my pants you can sleep on the couch,” Peter eventually warns him when things start to get a bit too hot.

“I only sleep on the couch if you’re underneath me.” Despite his words, Johnny pulls at Peter’s slacks until they pass his hipbones. Realizing that he got off his underwear along, Johnny pulls Peter’s hips up, kissing him on his lower belly. Peter breathes out heavily, throwing a hand over his forehead while closing his eyes.

“Johnny-“ Peter starts. Johnny smirks, inching lower, tugging his hairs between his lips until he gets to that excited erection waiting to be touched. As soon as Johnny’s mouth gets on him, Peter clenches his teeth together, feeling his face flush.

“Beautiful,” Johnny mumbles softly, gently stroking his hand up and down Peter’s length while leaving the smallest of kisses as well.

“You’re-“ Peter starts, but even as the first word comes out he has no idea what he was about to say. Feeling like he’s being taken apart by this wonderful person leaning over him, Peter’s heart beats wildly in his chest. He craves for Johnny’s touch, so much that he eventually tugs at his shoulder to pull him back up again, pressing their lips together in another heated kiss. Meanwhile, Johnny doesn’t stop stroking him with the softest of touches.

“I’m gonna get the lube,” Johnny whispers into his ear, but Peter shakes his head.

“Don’t you dare leave me here.”

Johnny simply smirks. He lets go of Peter, getting onto his feet without a word. Just as Peter’s about to complain, Johnny picks him up as if they were on their wedding day. Peter, bare from his waist down while Johnny is still fully clothed.

“If I can’t get the lube to you, I’ll take you to the lube.” Johnny gently puts him down on their bed the moment they’re in their room. Peter doesn’t even bother to complain anymore, instead just hanging on tightly even as Johnny tries to move away. With trouble, he manages to grab the bottle from their nightstand, eventually squirting a large amount of it onto his fingers.

“One step at a time?” Peter asks, just like he asks every other time they try it. Johnny nods.

“You give the signal,” he assures him. Lips on each other, his left hand onto Peter’s length, Johnny keeps his right close to Peter’s buttocks. While circling the small, rarely-touched opening, he waits for the signal. As they’ve only done this yesterday, there’s not much resistance when he first inches to push in.

Peter smiles, though he’s pretty sure unease is easy to be read on his face. It always is whenever they try this, but feeling like following Harry’s advice, they do this ever so often. Practice, as they said. Make Peter’s body realize that the intrusion isn’t _bad_.

“Go for it,” Peter assures him with a whisper. There’s no hesitation when Johnny pushes the first finger inside. It enters easily, already loosened from yesterday. Though, while the feeling is starting to get at least a little bit familiar, there’s still that constant feeling of being on edge that goes with it. And not a good kind of being on edge, that is.

“You okay?” Johnny tries. Peter rolls his eyes.

“Clearly it sucks,” he jokes, though he takes Johnny’s face into his hands and kisses him tenderly. “Keep going.”

“You’re unbelievable.” Though Johnny doesn’t stop. Mindful of keeping a steady rhythm on the flesh between his hands, Johnny multitasks almost expertly.

“You know what’s unbelievable? The fact that we keep trying this.”

Johnny squeezes a bit and Peter gasps, for a moment forgetting about the other intrusion happening a bit lower. He nearly scratches Johnny’s cheeks, instead grabbing onto the back of his neck to prevent that from happening.

“What, you’re not enjoying this, perhaps?”

“… just shut up.”

Eventually, Peter holds on until they’re three fingers in. At that point, already feeling overstimulated, he begs for him to finally stop. He takes a breather while Johnny prepares himself all that quickly, and when he sinks himself own onto Peter’s still excited member, the two let out a cry that’s probably a bit too loud. Peter’s just feeling exhausted, touched so much that he nearly feels like he’s breaking apart again.

Johnny’s never disappointed that they finish their practice without any further result. Instead, he’s all the more enthusiastic when he finally gets to feel Peter inside himself.

For a while Peter even wondered why he wants to switch so badly given that Johnny enjoys bottoming so much. But as they’re like this, Johnny red all over his body, small drops of sweat covering his abdomen, Peter wonders even more if he could feel just as blissful as Johnny is looking.

“I love you so much,” Peter whispers against his lips.

“I love you, too.” Johnny sighs happily. “I love you so fucking much. I don’t want anybody else but you.”

“I hope so,” Peter jokes before kissing him again. Then, in a moment of weakness he speaks up again. “Please, don’t’ ever leave me.”

And it’s clear in the sudden stillness that goes over Johnny’s body that he’s thinking Peter’s having another panic attack. But it couldn’t be less true. Even as he checks out his expression, Peter looks earnest.

“I’ve been taking my pills. I’m fine at the moment. Don’t worry.” Peter doesn’t wait for an answer anymore, smashing their mouths together in another long kiss neither wants to let go of.

Johnny doesn’t need to say it out loud, though. Peter can read it in his movements. ‘ _I’m always worried about you_ ’. And Peter just wishes this wasn’t the case at all. He just wishes they could be happy together, without all this crap about PTSD, without the depression.

But that’s not reality, and they have to make do with the situation they have right now.

They reach their peak close to each other, though as Johnny finishes first Peter’s the one who has to do the final work to get there as well. After that, they just lie down on their backs, their hands holding on as they look at the ceiling.

“That was-“ Peter starts. Johnny chuckles.

“Amazing, as always.” He gives Peter a sideway glance, smirking brightly and squeezing his fingers. Then the both of them close their eyes, just needing to bask in the afterglow for a little bit.

They don’t get to stay like this for long, though. In what seems like just seconds the phone on the nightstand goes off, startling the both of them awake from their bliss. Peter opens his eyes, almost considering not picking it up at all.

“Who is it, Karen?” he asks – because of course he’s installed his own AI inside his home. He’s the son of Tony Stark, after all.

“ _It’s Michelle. She also called you on your cellphone once before but as you were busy I thought it best not to disturb you, Peter_.”

Peter rolls his eyes, turning on his side to kiss Johnny once on the cheek before leaning over him to take the phone.

“Thanks for that, K. You’re a champ.” Half lying on Johnny, he puts the phone against his ear and accepts the call. “Parker-Storm residence.”

It’s a joke he does; of course the person calling knows which house it is; it’s not like a lot of people have this number, after all.

“ _Pete?_ ”

Peter frowns, eyes locking with Johnny who seems to realize there’s something wrong as well.

“MJ, are you alright?”

Though she has only said one word, that one word was enough. It was in the slight shaking, the tone of the voice, which had been barely audible as well.

“ _Pete, I- I’m not disturbing, am I?”_

“Of course not! What’s wrong?”

“ _Oh, Pete… It’s Shuri, she- she just dumped me.”_

And Peter almost drops the phone, noticing Johnny’s questioning glance. But how can he speak?

Just like that, all the bliss has disappeared.

They meet up at the same café Peter went to with Harry a while back. It’s just him and her, Johnny having decided to give them some time together.

Though, to be fair, Peter is at a loss of what to say to her. MJ, while being his best friend, is also his ex-girlfriend who kinda maybe left him to be with another girl.

She looks like she hasn’t slept at all. Her eyes are red, her cheeks puffy. Her hair is an even bigger mess than before. It’s rare one gets to see her in a state like this, but even Peter knows just how she and Shuri were together. For a moment Peter even thought they were going to get married in the not too distant future.

Peter can only ask the only question there is in this current situation. _What happened?_ To which MJ had just let out a bitter laugh, took up her cup of coffee and had a large sip of it.

“I wish I knew, I really do…” she sighs sadly. “One moment I suggested I visit Wakanda for Christmas, and the next she tells me she can’t do it anymore and that it’s over. That she can’t handle the distance between us, that it’s not going to work anymore.”

Peter looks at her, feeling his heart break for her as a tear rolls down her cheek again. She quickly wipes it away.

“That’s sudden,” Peter points out. MJ shakes her head.

“I have no idea what’s going on. Last week we were just fine, but then she had to rush home due to some family emergency. On the phone she stated that things were fine but then yesterday she…”

MJ bites her lower lip, her dark eyes looking up to meet Peter’s. “You think her family made her do it?”

Though Peter shakes his head. He’s met the royal family of Wakanda, each of them devoted to one another. There’s no way that T’Challa would tell Shuri to break up with the one she loves, and neither would her mother. 

“Well, whatever the reason, she made it pretty clear that there’s no place for me in her life anymore. I begged her to come back here, or to let me come to her but she wouldn’t have it. She just told me to leave her alone and hung up.”

“Doesn’t sound like she wanted to let go, either…”

Peter’s really not good at this. Next to being unable to deal with his own break-ups, he’s probably even worse with his friends’ heartbreaks. He remembers being extremely glad when MJ and Harry broke up and acted like all was well in the world.

When Ned and Betty broke up (again), things had been bad for a few days, until Ned exclaimed that he felt freer than ever.

“So… what are you going to do now?” Peter asks cautiously. MJ shrugs, looking down at her fingers before shaking her head.

“Get back to work, I suppose. Need to finish this next article before the end of the week after all… Life goes on, I suppose.” She then finishes her coffee and looks outside. They’ve decided to stay inside the café this time to avoid the rain, which is pouring relentlessly. Peter clears his throat.

“You want me to talk to her?” he tries. MJ looks up at him from the corners of her eyes before shrugging.

“Don’t have to do so for me. She’s your friend, still, so don’t let me stop you, either. Just… don’t add logs to this dried out fire.”

“You’re just giving up like that?”

MJ sighs, rubbing her forehead quietly. “Yeah, I guess I am.” When she looks up, her eyes are still glued outside. “I’m not gonna chase after someone who doesn’t want me anymore, Pete. To be fair, this long-distance shit is hard. You probably can’t comprehend how hard – if you thought it was hard with you being at MIT and Johnny here, imagine him just being in a completely different continent, where the hour-difference is so awful you’re rarely awake at the same time.”

Peter doesn’t want to imagine that. He likes having Johnny close, after all.

“Okay,” he eventually agrees. “I’m really sorry this happened to you.”

MJ gives him another glance, though this time not looking away immediately. She offers him a light smile and shakes her head.

“Not your apology to make,” she offers him quietly. She then clears her throat as she takes her napkin and starts tearing it apart. “You, uh, you heard about Harry and Liz?”

It’s an obvious attempt at changing the topic. Peter doesn’t feel like fighting her for it so he goes along with it, instead.

“I did. Helped him pick out the ring few weeks back. Surprised it took him this long to ask her, though.”

MJ laughs hesitantly. “Never thought he would be the first one of us all to get married,” she admits. Now, Peter could point out that, in fact they got married in Vegas first, but given that that marriage never ended up being legal (at least they hope so) he doesn’t say it.

“Ah, Harry’s pretty much a secret family guy,” Peter admits. “He likes his flings and one-night-stands, but in all secrecy all he wanted was to have a family of his own, so he could become a better father than Norman was.”

MJ nods. “I get that,” she agrees. “To be fair, I always thought Wanda and Vision would get married first. You got any news from them?”

Yeah, that whole matter. It’s caused a whole rift between the Avengers at first, and it took a while for them to build everything back up again from the ashes Wanda’s left behind in her hysteria.

“Well, she’s still mourning, of course, but Strange’s been helping her keeping control of her powers. As for Vision…” Peter sighs. “He’s back but… while he remembers everything that happened he… doesn’t feel the same for Wanda anymore. It’s like the ‘love’-part of his memory has been completely wiped. So, yeah, they’re no longer together anymore.”

For a while, it had seemed that Wanda and Vision would have been together for ever. Losing their sons should have been a terrible thing they would have been through together, but with Wanda accidentally destroying Vision they had to rebuild him. While they feared that nothing of his former self would remain, despite everything he still appears to be the same Vision as before.

Except for that very crucial part where he was in love with Wanda.

“Guess good stories don’t always get their happy endings,” MJ sighs. “I was really happy when she announced she was pregnant, you know?”

“We all were.” Peter bites his lips together, glancing outside once more to see if the rain has quieted down for a bit.

It hasn’t.

“How ‘bout Yaël and Loki? They still happy married?”

While MJ is familiar with the other people Peter’s come to call his ‘family’, she’s never been exceptionally close to them as much as she is with Peter, Ned, Harry, Shuri, Liz and Johnny. For a while it seemed to be just them, with the occasional addition of Wade, Yaël, or Wanda.

“Expecting their second child if you can believe it?” Peter smiles again, gesturing at the waiter that he wants to order another thing. The girl nods and heads his way while Peter takes off his hoodie when he no longer feels cold. “I think Raido’s gonna be glad to be a big brother now.”

“I bet he is.” MJ studies him for a moment as he takes their new order. When he notices her staring, he hesitates for a moment.

“You didn’t want anything?” he asks in worry.

“Oh, no, that’s not it. You’re kinda glowing, is all.”

Peter’s eyes widen, looking down at himself. Glowing can’t mean anything good! He thought he got over the radiation poisoning after his Dad travelled back in time to save him. If it’s back, that means something must have gone wrong!

Though, he hadn’t exactly been glowing, back then.

“Not that kind of glowing, don’t worry,” she assures him. “You just kinda look like… You know what? Never mind.”

“No, tell me,” Peter insists, though he can pretty much guess what she’s talking about. After all, the shower he had taken before coming here had been a quick one. His hair is probably still a mess, too!

“Well, it kinda looks like Johnny’s been using you as his new personal chewing-toy,” she laughs, nodding at Peter’s now-bare neck. “Next time better wear some make-up or don’t take off your hoodie.” She winks at him, and Peter puts his hands on his skin to try and hide it away. It’s too late, though.

"Ugh, I told him not to exaggerate!” Peter almost pulls his hoodie back on until MJ stops him by grabbing his hand.

“C’mon you don’t have to hide! We’re both adults here, we both know that having sex is normal.” It’s obvious that she’s extremely amused with this, but no matter who Peter is talking to, he still doesn’t like this particular subject of conversation.

Instead of putting on his hoodie, he just puts his face in his hands and shakes his head.

“I’m sorry. You’re having a bad time and here I am just flaunting how I just got laid.” And as soon as the words are out he looks back up, pressing a hand against his mouth. He can’t believe he just said that! And just like that! It’s not like him at all!

“It’s alright,” she assures him, though upon the mention of her recent break-up she hunches her shoulders a bit. “Tell me I at least didn’t interrupt you two?”

“No!” he almost shouts. MJ startles from his reaction. “No! No, you didn’t interrupt us! No.”

His face is red now. He can just go and sink into the ground if that’s possible.

“You sure? Cause you’re kinda freaking out here?”

Peter groans in embarrassment. “I promise you, the only thing you interrupted was a nap we were about to have!”

Still amused, MJ shakes her head and accepts the coffee she’s been offered by the waitress. When she stirs into the cup, she finally looks away from Peter to glance outside once more. Looks like the rain is finally calming down a bit.

An hour later, the two of them eventually emerge from the café. With an umbrella in hand, MJ looks outside but decides not to open it up just yet. She turns to Peter and smiles at him sadly.

“What are you gonna do now?” he asks her. She shrugs.

“Probably gonna go cry some more. I’m only human after all.” She bares her teeth with a grin that doesn’t reach her eyes. “Hey, uhm… thanks for this. I really needed it.”

Peter nods. “It’s no big deal. I’m here for you if you need me.” _Just like you were there for me when Felicia left me._

“Noted.” She leans forward to kiss his cheek once, and then pats his head. “I’ll see you soon, okay? Don’t worry too much about me.”

After that she walks away into the masses, and Peter watches her go quietly, his heart still aching for her at the reminder of what she’s currently going through.

And then, a terrifying thought goes through him;

If all their friends are breaking up one by one, what if he and Johnny are next?

* * *

##  October 22nd, 2026

“Hey old man.”

Peter chuckles when he sees Johnny shake his head at him with obvious disdain. His eyes are hidden behind the dark glasses, but Peter can see the rosy cheeks and nose, as well as those lips with only small flocks of snow on them. He quickly inches forward to kiss them, only for Johnny to lean back.

“Hey! First you call me old and then you expect a kiss?” Johnny complains. He loosens his boot from the snowboard he came down the hill with and moves to go back to the elevator.

“Well, you are 27 now after all,” Peter smirks widely, grabbing him from behind and holding on tightly. Johnny sighs in a faked annoyance.

“Don’t remind me, you damn millenial.” But as he turns around, Peter kisses his cheek at last, grinning widely as he feels his cold skin against his lips.

“Oooh, low blow, you wannabe-nineties kid.”

Johnny finally comes to stand in front of him, kissing his lips once shortly. Then he gestures towards the elevator. “C’mon, let’s go back up.”

“Good idea.” Hand in hand, the two keep one foot on their boards while the other pushes them forward to the queue. Some people are giving them a short look, but given that their faces are completely covered nobody can guess who they really are. They wait for the elevator to arrive once it’s their turn, sitting down on the seat next to two other people they don’t know. As they are having their separate conversation with each other, Peter and Johnny don’t pay too much attention to them.

“So, you having a nice birthday?” Peter tries. It’s the last day of their holiday, their return home being tomorrow. Peter doesn’t really want to go back, knowing that things are a bit crap back there with this tension now going on between MJ and Shuri and Harry being a nervous wreck due to this wedding they’ve insisted on having in only a month!

“Yeah,” Johnny smiles. “The best one so far.” He takes Peter’s gloved hand and holds it tightly, before using his teeth to take off the one on his other hand. Then he grabs his phone and holds it up, pointing the camera towards their faces as he takes a quick selfie.

Peter leans his head against Johnny’s shoulder on the image, and even as Johnny lowers the phone to have a look Peter doesn’t pull away. He just sighs happily, looking around at the beautiful Swiss landscape around them. It’s such a sight, he almost wishes they could live here.

“Can I post this? There has been this rumor that we’ve broken up and I kinda wanna prove them wrong.” Johnny smirks as he speaks. Peter just shrugs.

“You do whatever you want, hot stuff,” he agrees. After all, it’s not like Peter’s hair or his eyes are all that visible. Johnny grins happily, waiting until they’re upstairs where they get to a hotspot. There he uploads the picture before putting his phone back in the inner pocket of his coat.

“C’mon, race you down?” he suggests. Peter rolls his eyes.

“As long as you don’t cheat,” he warns him. Standing in position, the two wait for their mutual signal. But, knowing that Johnny always cheats, Peter decides to just go even before Johnny says ‘go!’.

“Hey!” he can hear behind him, though Peter ignores it.

* * *

##  November 12th, 2026

It happens just on a Thursday in November. The sun is shining in the sky, yet the air is cold and people are wearing heavy coats. Christmas decorations are already brought up in almost every store, having completely bypassed Halloween for some reason that Peter tries to ignore (since Peter’s had lots of fun dressing up as the Fantastic Four’s fifth member: paper bag-man!)

He’s walking in the streets, completely alone, with the intentions of surprising Johnny with an early arrival home. Families are passing him by, hurrying to get to their final destination of the day: home. Yet, Peter has not the same thought at all.

Sure, he’s heading to the apartment he shares with Johnny, the latter having no idea that he’s home, but first he wants to check on Aunt May, make some plans for Christmas. They’ve thought about having a small party at their place, though he’s yet to ask his Dad and Steve if they’re going to join this time.

He feels a small buzz in the pocket of his pants. An incoming message, he figures. It can wait for a while. As soon as people start calling he should start worrying. Peter goes down the stairs, getting himself into the subway by scanning his card against the machine. Finding the first one to May’s, Peter hops onto the train and watches the doors close. There, for a moment he closes his eyes and listens to the music coming from his earbuds.

As the subway arrives at its first stop, Peter looks up again to make sure he’s not standing in the way. There’s a young girl who wants to pass so Peter pushes himself against the side to let her through. As soon as she disappears, the person behind her becomes visible.

Though it’s not the person that catches his attention, but the newspaper lying on the guy’s lap.

“Excuse me, sir. Can I have a look?” Peter asks curiously. The guy, barely older than Peter, looks up in confusion but eventually hands him the newspaper.

“You can keep it, I’m through with it anyway,” he assures him. Peter nods gratefully, looking at the front page with eyes open wide. The picture printed on it in full color is familiar to a point that it nearly makes him sick. He barely comprehends the title from it, instead going to the page that supposedly holds the entire coverage.

More pictures are shown there. Peter’s hands start shaking, his vision blurring when he tries to read the words.

_Stark & Storm secretly married in Vegas?_

It shouldn’t be possible. He hadn’t been in disguise, and Johnny had dyed his hair black at the time! People shouldn’t have made the connection!

But as he reads, he starts to understand what exactly happened. And while panic is his initial reaction, fury is another one that goes through him.

“Wade…” he mutters in annoyance. Immediately he takes out his phone, putting the newspaper between his arm and torso as he dials said person’s number. Though almost immediately his call is disconnected.

 _“Sorry, the number you’re trying to reach is no longer connected_ –“ Peter grunts in annoyance, putting down his phone. Then he remembers that he got a message. Seeing that it’s an unknown number he frowns even more.

  * _Hey Pal! Wade here! Phone got stolen, here’s ma new number. XOXO LOVEYA_



“Oh my God you gotta be kidding me!” Peter immediately saves the number and calls it up. After only a few rings it goes through.

“ _Yup?”_

“Wade! What the Hell did you do?!”

“ _Oh, hey Pete! So you saw the news, huh? Funny thing; apparently I really_ did _get ordained back in the day so, yeah, surprise: You and Johnny have been married since Vegas!”_

“Wade!”

“ _Hey, man, sorry! I forget things when I’m drunk!”_

“I’m not talking about that, you idiot! How is it possible that they know it’s us?! We were disguised!” Peter tries to keep his voice down as he’s currently in the subway with enough people to hear him, but he’s pretty insignificant in their eyes probably that they don’t even notice him. At least, that’s what Peter hopes for.

“ _Oh, yeah, so who-ever took my phone also kinda saw the video I made of your wedding. You know, the one where I speak out your actual names during the ceremony?”_

Peter feels close to smacking his face against the pole. “Why did you even have a video of the ceremony?”

“ _Hey! Why wouldn’t I? That was a pretty darn good ceremony if I do say so myself!”_

At the verge of throwing his phone against the ground, Peter just ends the call and instead immediately dials Johnny. The call goes, ringing again and again, but in the end it seems like Johnny isn’t picking up – he’s probably out. Peter curses inwardly, feeling as if he’s about to explode from his nerves.

He gets out of the train at the next stop, running back onto the streets and looking up at the sky. Noticing that there aren’t too many people nearby, Peter hurries to the first alley that he sees. He makes sure that there’s nobody there, changes into his suit and swings himself up in the air.

He arrives at May’s in only a few minutes. There he lands into the backyard, knocking against the window and waiting for her to open up. Instead of May, though, it’s Rhodey who lets him in.

“Pete? What’s wrong? Forgot your key?”

He didn’t, the key is in his bag, somewhere between his clothes. He’s just too on edge to search for them.

“Is May home?” he asks nervously.

“Uh, yeah, not only her, though.”

Peter doesn’t register those words. He storms inside through the window, takes off his mask and pulls at his own hair. Unable to keep the anger inside anymore, Peter finally lets out a shout in annoyance, feeling close to punching a hole in the wall. He doesn’t, though, given that this is May’s house.

“Peter? What’s wrong, sweetie?”

Peter’s heart skips a beat when he hears May’s soothing voice approaching. There are other footsteps joining her, and given the fact that Rhodey doesn’t stop them from entering the kitchen it means that these people know who he is.

He just runs into May’s arms, holding on to her tightly while he tries to fight through his tears. He’s just so nervous, and this heavy feeling in his chest makes it clear that he’s having another panic attack. Only this time it’s not flashbacks or any other kind of thing that reminds him of his past trauma. This is just him unable to keep the situation under control.

“Pete, honey, just breathe in and out, okay? In and out.”

Peter shakes his head. He can’t just breathe in and out. He can’t do anything like that. He can just fall, deeper and deeper into this hole

“Aunt May, I-!” He doesn’t know what. He doesn’t know anything.

“Baby, calm down please?”

Peter’s eyes widen. From over May’s shoulders he can see Johnny standing there, next to Tony and Steve who must have been visiting May as well.

“Johnny?” Peter stammers out. May lets go of him, allowing Peter to walk to Johnny instead. He gets strong arms wrapped around him once more. He hates that he has an audience, but at the same time he’s just glad that these are all people he trusts so much. This is his family, they’ve all seen him like this before.

Johnny shushes him quietly, gently rocking him while they’re standing there. His hands are strong against Peter’s back, his lips whispering quiet words. Words Peter can barely hear, but still takes in for some reason.

“That’s it, you’re doing great. I didn’t know you were here, or I would have waited for you before I came here. I asked them about Christmas, you know? They’re all going to be there. I don’t think there’s enough place for my part of the family, though, but they’ve offered we spend New Year’s at their place, alright? If you don’t want to you don’t have to, of course. I don’t mind.

Eventually, Peter calms down enough to form a complete thought. He pulls away from Johnny slightly, keeping his head onto Johnny’s shoulder before addressing the rest of his family.

“Hey, uh, I’m sorry I freaked out,’ he says. “I kinda panicked.”

“It’s alright sweetie,” May assures him. “What happened?”

Peter hesitates for a moment. Then he casts a short look at Johnny before pulling a necklace out from underneath his shirt. Johnny frowns when he sees it. They’ve been wearing their ‘fake’-wedding rings as necklaces ever since it happened,

“So, uh… it turns out Johnny and I got married in Vegas,” Peter admits, surprising everybody present, including Johnny.

* * *

##  November 20th, 2026

“So we just sign here and here?”

“Yeah, each copy needs both signatures, and after that we’ll take care of the rest.”

“Alright.” Peter picks up the pen, reaching for the dotted lines where his name has to be put down, yet he hesitates. Next to him he sees that Johnny isn’t that better off.

On the other hand, MJ doesn’t seem to have too much trouble with this choice, knowing that Shuri on the other side of the world already signed it.

“So this is annulment, right? It’s not a divorce?” Johnny tries.

“Yes, this will just make it so that his marriage never happened.”

Johnny and Peter give each other a look. Sensing their hesitation, Tony puts a hand onto their shoulders.

“I know you don’t see the point in this,” he starts. He’s been here the entire meeting, knowing what it’s like to deal with these legal matters. “I know you two care about each other. And I’m sure you two won’t mind being married. But don’t you two want to make that choice consciously rather than having it been a drunken –“

“Mistake?” Peter grits out without looking up.

“Pete,” Johnny tries, yet Peter ignores it as he finally stares back at his Dad.

“That’s what you were going to say, right? That it was a mistake?”

“That’s not-“

“Yes it is!” Peter gets up, dropping the pen and startling everyone in the room. “Just admit it- you’ve never liked the fact that Johnny and I are together!”

While Johnny and MJ seem shocked that Peter would lash out like that, Tony seems unphased about it. He just stares right back at him.

“You really think that?” he asks lowly.

“Yeah! That’s what I think! About all of you!”

It’s silent for a while, except for a short sniff coming from Peter’s side. He quickly wipes at his eyes, sitting back down and picking up the pen again. Though, instead of signing the contract, Peter nervously starts fumbling with it.

“Pete, just sign the damn thing. Your dad is right,” MJ eventually tells him dryly. “Do you really wanna tell your future children that you two got married in Vegas while drunk, not even a year into your relationship? Not much romantic about that, huh?”

MJ drops down her pen and shoves the contract forward. Giving Johnny a look, he, too, picks his pen back up. As he hovers above the dotted lines, he still seems to hesitate.

“Just because I’m doing this doesn’t mean I don’t want to be married to you one day,” Johnny admits to Peter. Then he signs his name down dropping his pen and shoving the paper forward next to MJ’s. “It just means that I wanna be able to see your face when we finally say yes.”

Peter grits his teeth together, suddenly feeling a wave of shame towards his Dad. What he said it was just- it was completely out of line. He gives him another short look, this time not stopping the tear that rolls down his cheek. Tony sighs, leaning forward and wiping it away before pulling him into a hug.

“It’s alright, son,” Tony assures him. Feeling a bit comforted immediately, Peter leans his head against his Dad’s shoulder, just taking a moment to breathe in and out. “I promise you, I don’t have anything against you and Johnny. I just don’t want you to dive into this thing before you’re fully ready for it.”

“I know,” Peter admits. He closes his eyes, holds on to his Dad even tighter before letting go of him at once along with a long breath. “You’re right. All of you are. Sorry, my head’s a bit of a mess.”

Johnny offers him a sad smile. He takes his hand in his own and squeezes it. “We understand.”

Peter lets out another deep sigh before he lets go of everybody, taking the pen in his hand once more. Without further hesitation he signs his name, with that no longer being married to Johnny.

Not like they were consciously married for long.

Peter pulls out the ring from underneath his shirt, pulling the necklace from over his neck and looking it over once more. Next to him, Johnny does the same thing. Holding their hands close, the rings look complete right next to each other.

“How ‘bout you hold on to this one for me, huh?” Johnny offers while taking Peter’s ring instead. “We’ll give it to each other properly when the time comes.”

Peter smiles, leaning forward to hug Johnny tightly.

“Deal,” he agrees.

They’re all right, after all. At least now Peter’s got a choice.

* * *

## January 1st, 2027

The Storm residence is spacious enough to house three families inside of it, had it not been for the giant lab that takes up most of its space.

Peter’s been here a few times before, even before he and Johnny were together. He knows where everything is by now so it’s not like he’s going to get lost around here.

Like Johnny promised, while Christmas had been celebrated with Peter’s side of the family, New Year has been spent at the Baxter building. Ben had been there with Alicia as well, and Franklin and Valeria have been playing with Johnny and Peter for almost the entire night. Now that the new year has finally started, the two have been put to bed while the adults talk on for a little while further.

With everybody drinking once again except for Peter, he feels the lightheartedness going around the room. The more Johnny drinks, the more frequent his jokes about Ben come up. The more Ben drinks, the stronger his responses are. It’s a good atmosphere, and Peter feels extremely grateful that he gets to be a part of this.

Somewhere along the way, Peter and Reed start talking about MIT and Peter’s final year at college, as well as his plans for the future. As Reed offers Peter a spot for his own company, Peter actually gets in a discussion as to what he could contribute to the company.

He barely even registers Franklin suddenly appearing with the news that he’s had a weird dream, specifically asking Johnny to tuck him back into bed. After a short kiss on the top of Peter’s head, Johnny disappears into the hallway while holding his nephew’s hand.

He has no idea how much time passes until his conversation with Reed eventually shifts over to him and Sue.

Peter’s always likes Sue. She’s been the overprotective sister that always wanted to take care of Johnny, driving him to a point where he was tired of being mothered by her all the time that he suggested Peter they could share an apartment while at college. If she hadn’t been so constantly worried about her younger brother, Peter has no idea what today would have looked like.

It nearly takes an hour for Johnny to return, and by that time Reed and Sue have already announced that they’ll be going to bed as well. That’s a sign for Ben and Alicia to leave as well, the two of them taking a cab back home after a quick goodbye and a promise to see each other soon.

Peter waits by the dinner table for a few moments longer before he gets up at last, wondering where Johnny is hiding away. Catching a glimpse inside Franklin’s bedroom, he sees that the kid is already asleep. That means Johnny’s no longer there.

The only two other options being their guest bedroom or the bathroom, Peter decides to just head to their bedroom instead. There he can change into his pajamas and get comfortable a bit. He shouldn’t even be too surprised to see Johnny already inside, looking outside the window, but still he is.

“Johnny? I was wondering where you went?” Johnny visibly startles upon hearing his voice. He looks to the side, his eyes seeming… tired? They’re kinda red, like he’s cried not too long ago. But Peter wonders what exactly could be his reason for crying, if he even did something like that.

“Pete, hey,” Johnny greets him with a faint smile. “Sorry, got kinda… nostalgic, is all. This place used to be my home once, yet now my former bedroom is being used as a storage for all this extra crap Reed doesn’t even need.

Oh, so it’s not like anything happened. Good, Peter’s glad. But, then why are his eyes this red?

“You sure you’re okay?” Peter asks as he comes to stand next to him, wrapping his arms around Johnny in a soft hug from behind. He puts his head over Johnny’s shoulder, feeling the other lean into him.

“Of course, why wouldn’t I be?”

But the answer is said so quickly, almost as if Johnny doesn’t want to draw attention to himself that much. Instead of managing that, though, Peter is all the more worried about him. But it seems like Johnny’s not in an urge to talk about it. He shouldn’t push him to give an answer.

“The others went to bed. We should sleep, too.” Peter tugs a bit at Johnny’s arm until he’s standing right in front of him. Then he feels Johnny putting a hand against his cheek, pulling closer for a kiss. Both close their eyes, just sinking into each other for a moment.

By now, Peter’s pretty familiar with the scent of Johnny’s deodorant, but that smell coming from his hair must be from the new shampoo they bought yesterday. Peter hadn’t had the chance to try it out just yet.

“You love me, right?”

Peter startles, surprised by Johnny’s sudden question. It’s not like him to seek confirmation like that?

“Of course I do,” Peter assures him, pecking his lips once more. “I love you so much.”

Yet while Peter would have expected Johnny to seem relieved, he just looks even more conflicted. Peter passes a hand through his boyfriend’s hair, making him look up at him. Johnny’s eyes seem wet from upcoming tears. Peter hates seeing it, so right when a drop rolls down Johnny’s cheek Peter leans forward to kiss it away.

“How ‘bout we go to sleep, huh?”

Johnny nods, pulling himself away from Peter. He wipes at his face, reaches for his backpack and takes out his sleeping attire. Then he throws an extra pair in Peter’s direction. “I’mma brush my teeth. Be right back.”

Johnny leaves the room without giving Peter the chance to respond. He figures he shouldn’t comment on it. Instead he changes as well, folding his clothes of the day away in the bag. Looking at the bed, he realizes he can’t go to sleep without brushing his teeth as well so he quickly follows Johnny into the bathroom.

If he hadn’t been worried about Johnny already, this view should be worrisome enough. Johnny is leaning on the sink, his toothbrush in his mouth while his hands pinch into his forehead. He sniffs once, obviously unaware that Peter’s here.

 _What happened when he was away with Franklin?_ Peter clears his throat to announce his presence and Johnny jumps up. He wipes at his face, spits out the toothpaste and rinses his mouth.

“Sorry, uhm, just very tired,” he lies. Peter sees right through it. He looks at him walking out of the bathroom in silence and for a moment just stares at his retreating back.

Whatever’s going on, Johnny shouldn’t keep it in like that. Peter sincerely hopes that, if not tomorrow, at least he’ll soon tell him what’s going on.

That night he can barely sleep. What he doesn’t know is that, next to him, Johnny is just as awake as him.

* * *

## January 23rd, 2027

It’s almost like Peter can see him disappear right in front of him

Well, not ‘disappear’ as in literally disappearing. It’s more like there’s this obvious change going on that he can’t really even explain. Like at certain points they’re as close as one can imagine them being, and the next he’s pulling away, coming up with some lame excuse as to why he suddenly needs to go away.

And it’s almost every day now. When he goes to sleep, it’s alone. When he wakes up, it’s alone. Not that Johnny doesn’t come home to sleep, that is. It’s just always so late or early…

“You think he’s cheating on me, don’t you?”

Harry hums in thought, pulling at his cigarette. They’re in the park, the two of them sitting next to each other on a bench. Harry’s hidden behind a thick scarf, his reddish hair tucked underneath a warm hat. He’s wearing gloves, much like Peter is doing in this cold winter afternoon. Snowflakes have stopped falling, but keep on resting on the ground. In the background they can hear happy children playing around.

“I mean, it’s not that I would expect it of him given how much he cares about you but… if I’m honest it almost sounds like it, yeah.”

“Oh God.” Peter puts his head into his hands, a fresh wave of tears coming up without his permission.

“Hey! Hey! None of that! You don’t get to cry as long as you’re not sure, you hear me?”

Peter feels himself being shaken by Harry. Disgruntled, he detaches himself from his best friend and lets out a long breath, forming a cloud in front of him.

“Alright alright, don’t need to be so wild,” Peter mutters as he wipes away the first tears. Harry gives him a sad, long look, and while Peter would at first have objected against it, this time he feels just hopeless enough to let it pass.

“You know,” he starts. “I always thought this would be it, you know? You with Liz, Shuri and MJ were happy, Ned and Betty, Johnny and I… And now look at us! You and Liz are the last ones standing.”

“Pete!” Harry gets up, obviously annoyed. “Don’t talk like you two have already broken up! It’s clear that something’s on Johnny’s mind. He probably thinks you already have enough problems to deal with!”

“Oh yeah so basically ignoring me doesn’t make my problems all the worse?” Peter crosses his arms and turns his gaze. “Ever since he’s started acting like this, I feel like my panic attacks have just gone worse again. And before, he was always there to help me through it. Now I’m almost always alone!”

“Then tell him, Pete! It’s no use if you just come complain to me about it; I can’t make him see the problem here. Only you can.”

Peter doesn’t answer. He knows Harry has a point. He always has when it comes to these matters. After all, he’s the married one here in this group of friends.

“It’s just that- I’m afraid to find out the truth… What if he really fell in love with somebody else?”

Harry lets out a sigh and sits back down next to him. “It would suck,” he agrees. “But… if, and that’s a big ‘if’, that’s the case… Pete then it’s better to let him go. If you cling on to him when his interests are obviously somewhere else you’re just gonna make both of you unhappy.”

Peter stares ahead. Once he sat on this bench with May’s dog, talking to Felicia about him pulling his head out of his ass and just be with Johnny. Now, almost two years later he’s sitting here again.

“C’mon, I’ll walk ya home. And promise me, when you see Johnny tonight just tell him how you feel, alright?”

Peter nods, though fearing in himself that he’s probably not going to do that. After all, hasn’t he tried to do so before? But whenever he sees Johnny at home the two would just fly onto each other, kissing, making love, cuddling. Until eventually Johnny pulls away again.

True to his word, Harry walks Peter home. They say goodbye at the front door, where Harry pulls out another cigarette and starts it up as he walks back down the stairs. Peter lets out a deep breath before going inside.

The house had been empty when Peter left. Still, Peter remembers that he turned off all the lights. That can only mean…

“Johnny?”

There’s the sound of something falling coming from the living room. Peter clears his throat and heads to that direction, finding Johnny standing next to the bookcase, his hand held up as if he had been holding something. On the ground there’s a book.

“Pete, I didn’t know you were home already?” Johnny asks, obviously startled. Peter feels something tugging at his chest as he approaches him. He kneels down and picks up the book, slowly standing back up as he hands it to Johnny.

“Yeah, Harry had to return home,” Peter says. When Johnny takes the book, Peter makes sure their fingers touch even slightly. Johnny lowers his head, biting his lower lip while nodding.

“I see.” He sighs, making Peter want to cry on the spot.

“Johnny, is everything alright?”

Johnny looks up with wide eyes, the book almost falling again if Peter hadn’t taken it from him once more. Peter puts it back into the bookcase and tugs at Johnny’s hand, guiding them to the couch.

“Wh- of course everything’s alright?”

They both sit down, Peter’s hand still holding on to Johnny’s.

“Let me rephrase that; is everything alright with _us_?”

Now Johnny closes his mouth, though at least his eyes don’t leave Peter’s. With his free hand he reaches up to Peter’s face, pushing away a strand of hair that had been dangling over his forehead. Then he puts the palm against Peter’s cheek.

“Pete-“

“Because we have to be alright! We still love each other, don’t we? You’re not- you’re not tired of me at all, are you?”

Johnny silences him with a gentle kiss. Pressing their foreheads together, Peter can hear him chuckle tiredly.

“Pete…” Johnny whispers close to him. After pressing another kiss, Peter relaxes only slightly in his touch. “I promise you, you’ve done nothing wrong. My head’s just in a bad place at the moment. I need a moment to figure it out, is all.”

“So- so you’re not in love with someone else?”

Johnny freezes for a second before kissing him once more. “Of course not,” he assures him. “How could I?”

Despite those reassurance, Peter doesn’t feel any calmer. Even as Johnny picks him up from the ground and carries him back onto the couch. Their lips never separating, Peter shivers when he feels Johnny’s fingers caressing over his arms, his legs.

“I’m- I’m ready, Johnny,” Peter whispers into his ear, which visibly seems to startle Johnny. When his eyes meet Peter’s, he seems to be searching for the confirmation. Peter nods, offering him a small smile. He’s shivering, feeling like he’s breaking apart each moment Johnny isn’t with him. So Peter wraps his arms around Johnny’s shoulders and holds him close.

“Are you sure?”

“I’m sure,” Peter assures him. “I want to.” He gives him small kisses in his neck, nibling at his skin and purposefully leaving marks. Everything to indicate that Johnny’s his and nobody else’s. It’s a claim. One he’s no longer ashamed to admit.

There shouldn’t be any shame if they’re in love, after all.

Peter has no idea when they move into their bedroom. He barely even grasps them taking off their clothes, or taking the bottle of lube out of the nightstand. All they’re aware of is each other.

“Johnny,” Peter whispers as they start their preparation. Johnny doesn’t say anything, instead just kissing him harder. When a tear rolls down his cheek, Johnny kisses them away tenderly.

One finger, two fingers. It goes up to four until Peter nods at him. He’s ready. He’s been ready for a while now. He just wants this, needs this. Needs a reminder that they’re alright, that they’re good together. After all, rarely has Peter craved being touched as much as he’s done when around Johnny. It feels good around him.

As Johnny enters him at last, another tear escapes. This time, Johnny doesn’t see it, instead kissing Peter’s neck like it’s the most important part of himself. Peter wraps his legs around Johnny’s waist, as if he’s preventing him from ever walking away again. His left hand has a firm grasp of Johnny’s hair, the other one leaving scratches on his back.

He’s aware that Johnny’s speaking to him. Aware that they are words he should hear. Yet it all sounds so muffled, distorted. As if he’s in another room.

Unlike last time they’ve tried this, Peter’s body doesn’t reject it anymore. It’s no longer an unpleasant intrusion, instead something welcome. Something he can finally understand. But he knows it’s not just the act; it’s the person he’s doing this with. Tugging a bit on Johnny’s hair, Peter makes him look up again. Their eyes meet for a few seconds before they both close them while reaching for another kiss.

Peter feels like he’s flying. It’s like he’s unable to do anything, just letting Johnny do all the work for now. And he does so relentlessly, never taking a break. He goes on, on, helping Peter climb up this mountain until, finally, he gets to the top.

He lets out a loud moan against Johnny’s mouth one he reaches his peak. The hand on Johnny’s back is sure to leave him bruised. Meanwhile, Johnny finally stills his movement, their hips still pressed firmly together. Peter loosens his hold around his middle, his legs losing all their strength and just dropping down on the mattress.

“That was- That…” Peter doesn’t remember how to speak. Johnny no longer moves, almost as if he’s fallen asleep. But when he does, it’s like he starts pulling away. Peter immediately grips him tightly again.

“Don’t leave!” he nearly shouts.

“I need to clean you up,” Johnny counters, but Peter shakes his head.

“I don’t care. After these past few days I just want you close. Please just let me have this today?”

Johnny looks like he’s thinking for a couple of seconds, but eventually nods and goes to lie back down. It’s warm where they are, especially when Peter pulls the sheets back up over them. Closing his eyes, he stumbles into a sleep he almost wishes could last an eternity, as long as Johnny’s next to him.

* * *

## January 24th, 2027

Peter wakes up alone. It shouldn’t be a surprise anymore, but that doesn’t make it less awful.

With a sigh, he reaches out to the empty spot next to him. It feels cold already, meaning that Johnny’s been up for a while now.

 _“I promise you, you’ve done nothing wrong. My head’s just in a bad place at the moment. I need a moment to figure it out, is all.”_ That’s what Johnny had said. It should have calmed down Peter, right? Yet it still hasn’t.

 _A moment_? It seems to last longer than a moment, to be fair. It’s been like this since New Year’s eve. And it hadn’t even been that bad at first, but eventually… yeah.

He’s gonna get dumped, isn’t he? It’s almost as if his spidey-sense is warning him about it. Though, that has never really happened before so it’s probably just his imagination. After all, the signs are obvious enough as they are.

Peter sighs, reaching for the nightstand to take out his pills and a bottle of water. Swallowing them down, he presses against his forehead while trying to form a normal thought.

He startles, though, when the door opens. The bottle of water drops down onto the bed, luckily with the cap still on. Standing in the doorway is a fully dressed Johnny who gives him a look.

“We’re going out,” he says, obviously not needing any argument against it. Peter blinks a couple of times before nodding.

“Ri-right,” he mutters. After all, if Johnny wants to do something that probably means he’s back to normal, right?”

“Get dressed. I’ll make you breakfast.”

He’s gone again before Peter can say anything. With a slight annoyance Peter throws the covers from him and gets on his feet. Noticing that he’s relatively clean, he figures Johnny must have cleaned him up anyway after he fell asleep. Contemplating taking a shower, he realizes he’s a bit too impatient for their day to be postponed even more. He just puts on some easy pants and a shirt, ties up his shoes and makes sure his hair is not too much of a mess. In the kitchen there’s Johnny just about to put a plate down on the counter.

“Ah, you’re up. Good.” Johnny pours a glass of orange juice and sits down. Eyeing him carefully as Peter sits down, he speaks up again. “You’re okay? Not too sore?”

Peter shakes his head. “Nah, feeling pretty fine,” he admits. He never expected feeling sore in the first place. He heals quickly enough – quicker than Johnny, that is.

“Good. I’m glad.” Johnny leans his head on his hand and simply looks at him while Peter eats the pancakes given to him. It’s quiet, but just for a short moment it feels fine. Domestic to a point where they’ve passed the honeymoon phase and are just comfortable around each other.

Peter smiles at Johnny. Johnny rolls his eyes and holds up Peter’s glass.

“Don’t forget to drink,” he tells him. Peter snorts.

“And that’s why I love you,” he tries sneakily. Johnny smiles faintly, reaching forward to pass his hand through Peter’s hair.

“Stop talking with your mouth full. I’m gonna go brush my teeth, okay?”

Peter nods. “Okay,” he says. He watches Johnny move away to the bathroom and for a moment contemplates following him. But then he realizes he should better just get his breakfast out of the way and start on the day.

Before long, the two put on their heavy coats and lock the door to the apartment behind them. Before Johnny can start on the walk down, Peter grabs his hand, holding on to it tightly. Johnny doesn’t pull away. That’s good.

Their only disguise being their many layers of clothing, they manage to enter the park without attracting too much attention. It seems to have snowed even more during the night, indicated by the fresh layer lying on the ground. It’s almost a shame to walk on it and ruin the untouched surface of it.

“So, I’ve been thinking about something,” Peter starts, attempting to just go on about their day like the past two weeks or so haven’t happened at all.

“Hmm?”

“Yeah, so, I know we went on that snowboarding-trip last year for your birthday, but it’s gonna be Valentine’s day soon and since we didn’t really do anything last year I kinda thought maybe we could, I dunno, go diving somewhere, huh?”

Johnny is silent. Peter frowns, almost stopping in his tracks. They’re nearing the lake when Johnny finally sighs and halts.

“Pete?”

His heart suddenly beating like crazy, Peter nearly doesn’t turn around.

“Pete, look at me, please?”

He eventually listens. Refusing to let go of Johnny’s hand, he turns, facing Johnny at last. His cheeks are rosy, his nose as well. His mouth is half-hidden underneath the scarf.

“What’s wrong?” Peter asks. But he knows this is all kinds of wrong. His entire body is on edge, his fingers shaking. Johnny doesn’t even try to still the hand holding his own.

“I- I can’t do this anymore. I need to be honest with you, Pete.”

“Don’t say anything,” Peter warns him. Johnny ignores him.

“I need to. For your sake, I need to tell you everything.”

Peter refuses to look at him anymore. He stares at one particular point over Johnny’s shoulder; a dark branch from a tree that hasn’t yet been covered by the snow. Johnny doesn’t force him to look up at least.

“These past few weeks I- I’ve been feeling… different. And it’s not at all your fault! You couldn’t have done anything about this, I promise you!”

“Just spit it out, Johnny…”

Johnny sighs, finally letting go of Peter’s hand and stuffing his own inside the pockets of his jacket. “I think we work better as friends… I don’t- I don’t think this is working anymore.”

Peter finally looks up, shooting Johnny a glare. As if his body has reacted before he could think of it he gives Johnny a hard push against his chest. Johnny stammers back, but stays on his feet.

“It was working just fine last month,” Peter grits at him. “It was working just fine before you started pushing me away!”

“Pete…”

“What, just _what_ did I do on New Year’s Eve that made you change your mind like that, huh?” Peter can’t stop the tears in his eyes, feeling angry and hurt and scared, all at the same time. “Did I not tell you that I love you every day? Did I not kiss you like I used to before? Sleep with you? Hold you? Tell me, Johnny, what exactly happened?!”

“It’s not something you’ve-“

“Oh, so it’s not me, it’s you, huh? Right, like anybody’ll ever believe that anymore. Don’t act like I’m an idiot, okay?”

Johnny stays quiet. His head is lowered, his hands almost shaking. Peter can barely see it through his tears.

“Was it not you who told me he’d love me even after we got that marriage annulled? Was it not you who promised we’ll be fine?”

“Pete, I’m sorry-“

“You’re sorry… yeah, well, I’m sorry, too.”

Now it seems like Peter’s lost all fight in him. He feels close to just falling down on the ground but tries his hardest to stay on his feet.

He should have known. Should have noticed the way Johnny avoided Peter’s words, never telling him he loves him in return. Should have known that it would have been the last time they ever made love again. Peter wraps his arms around his middle, hunching forward when something heavy presses against his chest.

_Not now…_

“Pete?” Johnny hurries up to him almost instantly, but the moment he touches him Peter shoves him aside.

“Get the fuck away from me!” he shouts, attracting the attention from other people passing by. Almost worried that he’s being harassed, they walk a little bit slower to check out the situation. “Don’t you fucking dare! Don’t- don’t you-“

Peter can’t speak anymore. He hunches down on the ground, wrapping his own arms around himself while he tries to get through this panic attack by himself. It’s not like he hasn’t been doing so for the past two weeks. Now, at least, Johnny can see what he’s made of him. What he’s created.

“Pete, please calm down…”

“CALM DOWN?!” He doesn’t even care that they’re in a public place like this. Doesn’t even care that people are hearing him. He sobs loudly, just wishing Johnny would tell him it was all a bad joke. If only Johnny would hold him, calm him down. Tell him he loves him.

But he just stands there.

“What happened?” Peter barely registers the new voice joining them in this argument. It’s a guy, that much he can tell. But even when he catches the hint of reddish hair his brain is too worked up to make the link. He tries to gasp for breath, tries to find something, _anything_ that can calm him down a bit.

Who-ever joined them is talking to Johnny. Someone is approaching him, kneeling down next to him. At this point Peter doesn’t even care if it’s Johnny or just a random stranger. He just wants to come back down.

“Hey Pete, it’s Harry,” the familiar voice whispers close to him. “Just listen to me for a moment, okay? Can you do that?”

Peter nods shakily.

“Alright, that’s great buddy. Just take a deep breath in, alright? In through the nose, out through the mouth. That’s good, you’re doing great.”

“Harry-“ Peter starts through his tears.

“Shh, it’s alright. Don’t try to speak, just breath in and out with me, okay?”

And for the following minutes Peter does just that. Breathing in and out in a regular tempo, he slowly feels the fog in his head ebbing away. His thoughts become clearer, the pressure on his chest less defined. While it still aches, it no longer feels like he’s being pushed down on the ground.

By the time Peter’s completely aware again he can see that it’s just the two of them again. Johnny must have left, the other bystanders having decided it’s impolite to keep staring. For a moment Peter’s extremely grateful for it.

Until a thought comes to him.

_Johnny left?_

Peter jumps up onto his feet, almost starting to run back into the direction they came from. He’s immediately stopped by Harry who grabs him by the coat.

“Where are you going?” Harry asks.

“I need to find Johnny! I can’t let him leave!”

“Pete…”

“I CAN’T! HE’S NOT BEING SERIOUS, HE’S JUST CONFUSED!”

“Buddy, please calm down.” Harry grabs him by both of his arms and gives him a soft shake. “I know this hurts. I know it sucks. But despite that you need to respect Johnny’s choice, okay?”

“NO!”

“Yes. Remember what I told you? If you cling on to him when his interests are obviously somewhere else you’re gonna make both of you unhappy? Remember?”

“But his interests aren’t somewhere else!” Peter struggles, but Harry’s just as strong as him. He’s just crying again, his head feeling like there’s something drilling inside of him. “He’s just confused! Harry, please let me go see him!”

“I can’t do that.” Harry pulls him into his arms, holding him in a strong embrace. It’s so strong that Peter can’t struggle out of it anymore. With his face pressed against Harry’s shoulder he breaks down into tears again, now instead of running away holding on to him tightly.

“It wasn’t a coincidence you were at the park, was it?”

They’re at Harry’s place. It had been his idea to drag Peter here, rather than to have him go back home. He’s seated on the couch, seated underneath a warm blanket while Liz hands him a hot chocolate he’s not intending on drinking at all.

He’s not that hungry nor thirsty…

“It wasn’t,” Harry admits as he sits down next to him. After a short look at Liz, she nods and turns around to leave them alone, heading to her study. “He, uh… he told me to come to the park, but never told me why. I suppose he wanted me to be there to stay with you…”

“I bet he did.” Peter puts down the cup and wraps his arms around himself. “This is all just a bad dream, isn’t it? I didn’t seriously just get dumped, right?”

Harry just gives him a sad look before turning away. He leans back against the couch, both of them staring at the black TV-screen.

“I’m afraid you did, Pete… I’m sorry.”

“I can’t believe it.” Peter wipes at his eyes, sniffing once before biting his lip. “I seriously don’t know what’s going on, Harry…”

“What did he say?”

Letting a tear roll down his cheek, Peter doesn’t bother to wipe it away this time. “Just that we weren’t working out, that we work better as friends. He didn’t give me any explanation.”

“Damn.”

“I just don’t get it, Harry! If he thinks we work better as friends, why would he have agreed to sleep with me yesterday?! Who does that?!”

Harry, while not being used of Peter talking about these things openly like that, doesn’t show his surprise at all. At this point, Peter is past being embarrassed about it.

“We had finally done it, too… After all this time, I could finally do it! And now it’s never happening again.” Peter sobs once more, leaning up against Harry when he puts his arm around Peter’s shoulder.

“I know it hurts.” Harry lets out a deep breath while shaking his head. “I don’t know what went on in his head. But… to me it seems like he really thought this was the best decision.”

“You don’t know that. He’s probably just confused, right? I should probably go home and he’ll just be there, begging for forgiveness. He can’t just-“

“Peter…” Harry puts a hand into Peter’s hair. “I know you really want him to come crawling back to you, but I’m afraid that’s just not going to happen.”

They quiet down for a bit after that. Peter drops his head against Harry’s shoulder and closes his eyes. He’s just so tired; that whole episode in the park, his entire body is exhausted after that.

“I don’t know what to do now.”

Harry rubs his arm gently. “Take it one step at a time.”

That’s really the only advice that can be given right now. Peter hates it all the same.

* * *

## January 28th, 2027

The newspapers are filled with the latest news. On the front page, the latest image of the two of them together is printed, each one with a more creative version of a ‘split’.

The internet seems to be enjoying all the gossip. What could be the reason? What happened? Who broke up with who? Was it all amicable or do they hate each other now?

It’s possible that the news got out after the Fantastic Four announced they would be moving to Central City in California. When people asked whether Johnny would remain in New York, he had simply said he wouldn’t.

Peter had to give a quick statement, too, though he’s not too sure why it would matter, anyway. It’s not their business, after all. After all, he has yet to make an official appearance as Peter Stark so far.

But now he takes to the anonymity he has, wandering around the streets of New York. He’s not even going to swing, not taking the subway. Just walking.

After he came back home from Harry’s he found out that Johnny had taken that time to clear out his stuff. Now, ending up in an empty-feeling house, Peter doesn’t feel like he belongs there anymore. With MJ’s and Ned’s help he even also started to pack up his stuff, for now putting them back into the Tower until he finds another place to call his own.

It’s not that he can’t afford anything. It’s more that he just needs a bit of time to get his thoughts in order. Moving back with his Dad or May’s could, for now, be the best solution.

Peter looks to the side when he gets to another newsstand. Another version of the news is printed, another creative image of the two of them printed out on the front page. Peter shivers, holding back another tear before looking away.

It’s no use to keep staring at it, after all. It won’t make him come back.

Peter moves on to the next street, walking until the sun has set, and even then not stopping.

All he can do is move forward, though it would also help if anybody could tell him how to do that, too.

* * *

## February 2nd, 2027

May and his Dad are getting worried.

He’s aware of it, yet he still can’t help it. He really tries to eat more, really tries to sleep at regular hours and to smile more. But it’s not enough. More often than not his plate is full when he leaves the table. More often than not he’s still wide awake in the middle of the night, anxiously looking back at his phone in the hopes that he’s gotten any message from Johnny. And each smile he tries to make ends up with tears in his eyes.

Dr. Thatch seems confident that he’s going to be fine. After a slight adjustment to his medication and the more recent topic of conversations during the sessions, she seems to think that he’s doing extremely well. That it’s better to feel like this than not to feel anything.

But right now Peter would rather just feel nothing at all.

Since Johnny left, Peter’s yet to speak to him. He’s tried calling him or texting him, but so far Johnny hasn’t reached out back to him at all. It’s like he really doesn’t want anything to do with him anymore. So much for the two of them working better as ‘friends’. It’s clear he just thought they were working better as nothing, instead.

After dinner, Peter puts his leftovers (practically his whole plate) in the fridge and just walks to the couch where he starts up the television. He surfs through the channels, yet finding nothing worthy of watching.

Steve and Tony look at him in worry. Peter feels bad for them, guilty of worrying them. But he can’t help it. He needs to take care of himself before he can think about others.

It’s not the first time this happened, after all. If he survived his past break-ups, he’s surely going to get through this one, too. The only challenge, right now, is to navigate himself through this storm.

* * *

## February 14th, 2027

“Here’s one for you, and one for you.”

Peter gets an alcohol-free cocktail shoved into his hands. Next to him, the same happens to Ned. With a sigh, MJ sits down on the couch between them, putting the straw in her mouth while she reaches for the remote control.

“Here’s for our first anti-valentine’s day celebration. Does anybody want to make a speech?” MJ asks after she’s swallowed down. Ned chuckles.

“Uh, here’s to another year of ‘focusing on my job’?” he tries. Peter and MJ raise their glasses.

“Hear, hear! To another year of not giving a single fuck!” MJ returns before nearly swallowing down the entire glass. It’s possible that hers has some alcohol in it, but Peter’s not too sure.

Peter stays quiet, though. He nibbles on his straw, waiting for the movie to start. But when it doesn’t and it turns out MJ and Ned are instead staring at him he rolls his eyes.

“Uh, here’s to another year of thinking about only me?”

“Yeah!” MJ throws her arm over his shoulder and pulls him close. Ned pokes him in the arm with a wide grin.

It’s really far from how Peter would have expected his Valentine’s day to go back when the year started, but this is the reality he’s currently in right now. He clears his throat and chews on his straw again.

“Who knew we were such unlucky souls huh?” MJ sighs. “First Ned & Betty, then Shuri and me, and now you two-“

“To be fair, I never expected Betty and me to last,” Ned offers quietly.

“Whatever! They’ve all left us when we needed them most. Now we rely on each other. I love you, guys. There’s nothing better in this world than to have friends to rely on.”

Peter stays quiet, feeling as if that hole in his heart has been poked through again. He just wishes he could share the same feeling as MJ right now. It’s probably just too recent.

“How about we just start watching this movie, huh?”

MJ agrees, starting it up without removing her arm from Peter’s shoulder. He just leans up against her, taking a deep breath and wishing for things to get better soon.

* * *

## May 3rd, 2027

Peter sees Johnny again by accident.

It had been a business meeting in California which Pepper had insisted he’d attend. Peter hadn’t complained, donned the Stark-suit and hopped on the first plane to LA along with Pepper and Tony.

He shouldn’t have been too surprised at how his chest aches as soon as he sees him, yet it still does. Because there Johnny stands in the middle of the street, wearing clothes fit for the hot weather. He’s got a cup from Starbucks in his hands and sunglasses on his head, though he appears not to have seen him.

“Pete, is everything alright?” Tony asks when Peter stands still in the middle of the sidewalk. They’re a bit early for the meeting so they decided to do some sight-seeing, instead.

“Uh, yeah,” Peter assures him. He should probably pretend that he hasn’t see him. Tony might get annoyed when he sees him and make a scene. That’s the last thing Peter wants. Together, the two walk into the opposite direction.

With his back turned to Johnny, he can’t see the other man turning, seeing him and reaching out for him, only to stop himself instantly. Instead, Johnny lets out a deep sigh and walks away as well.

* * *

## June 25th, 2027

It’s the first year Peter stays at home during pride, doing all he can not to rewatch some recordings of his love confession to Johnny.

The day comes, and it goes.

* * *

## November 30th, 2027

“Pete?”

Ice cold runs over him. Peter freezes on the spot, all the muscles in his body tensing up. He turns.

“Johnny,” he whispers out. Turning around, he finds him standing there on the sidewalk. “I didn’t know you were in New York?”

Johnny nods, scratching the back of his head. “Yeah… It was kinda a last-minute thing. But I’m about to head back out again.” He points to somewhere behind him, though that’s surely not the direction he’s going if his intentions are to go back to LA.

“Oh,” Peter returns. He clears his throat. To be fair, he would have imagined this hurting a lot more, yet somehow he feels just fine. Peter looks down at himself, almost as if he can see what’s possibly blocking his emotions right now.

“So, uh, it’s good to see you again. How’ve you been?”

Peter shrugs. “I’ve been okay. Working at Stark Industries now, got to start my own biochemistry-department. They’re kinda prepping me to take over the company.”

Johnny nods. “Much like you expected,” he agrees. Then he closes his mouth and bites his lips together nervously. “I, uh… Well…”

“We should talk. Some time. You know? Catch up?”

Johnny’s face shifts from an uncomfortable smile to a genuine one.

“We’re talking now, aren’t we?” he teases.

Peter crosses his arms and raises an eyebrow. Johnny just chuckles.

“Alright, no joking…” Though, before Johnny can say anything else, his phone starts ringing inside his jeans. He fishes it out and presses the device against his ear. “Yeah, I’m on my way back. I’ll pick the kids up for ya. Okay, love ya!”

Peter just stares. Thinking back of the Richards-siblings Peter finds himself smiling fondly before he realizes.

“That was Sue. I should be heading out.” Johnny pulls up his car keys. “I’ll… uh, I’ll talk to ya soon?”

Peter nods. “Promise.”

Johnny smiles at him once more, even as he drives away. Peter watches him go, a melancholic feeling going through him. Yet he stays put.

There’s only forward to go, after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter warnings:  
> \- Panic attacks  
> \- Anxiety  
> \- PTSD, Major Depressive disorder.  
> \- Sexual content
> 
> Yes, so far the real reason as to why Johnny broke up with Peter hasn't been mentioned. (Because who seriously believes Johnny truly sees him as only a friend, right?). The epilogue will shed some light onto this matter.  
> MJ and Shuri breaking up was also one of the hardest things to write because I absolutely love those two together. I wish I could have found a way to get Shuri a bit more in the story in the end, but I just couldn't really find a good scenario for it. The reason why she broke up with MJ will be further explained in the epilogue as well.


	4. Coda

## March 15th, 2030

“Is this right?”

“Of course it’s right! I know where the Baxter Building is, MJ, stop worrying.”

“Just making sure, what with your sense of direction we might as well end up in Detroit, instead.”

Peter pulls the map out of her hand and throws it in the backseat. “You’re hilarious. Just trust me, alright? I’ve been here a lot before.”

MJ stares at him for a few seconds before nodding. “Right,” she remembers. “So, you’re excited to see everybody again?”

Peter smiles. It’s been a while since the whole gang’s been reunited. The fact that they’ve thought of inviting literally _everyone_ for Valeria’s birthday is surprising enough, though Peter’s pretty sure it was Johnny’s idea since surely not kids would think of inviting Ned or Harry.

“Yeah, totally,” Peter agrees excitedly. “It’s been a while, you know?”

It has been a while. Since Harry’s often abroad or working he’s rarely been seen. Shuri’s doing some work abroad from Wakanda, staying in the States for a project that’s supposed to last 5 years, give or take. Ned’s been busy with his family, while Johnny’s just being Johnny; free and unattached. There had been a time it bothered Peter, but now he’s kinda fine with it. After all, it’s not his deal anymore.

Much like Peter promised, they’ve arrived at the Baxter Building without any trouble. Peter parks the car in the underground parking using his personal badge (the one he acquired when he was still with Johnny) and then he runs out of the car, hurrying to the passenger door. Holding out his hand, he helps MJ out as she stands a bit unsteady on her feet.

“Jesus, Peter, I’m fine,” she assures him for the millionth time. Peter ignores her as he puts his hand onto the small of her back. “You menace.”

Now Peter snorts upon hearing the nickname. “Jee, thanks J Jonah Jameson,” he jokes. MJ goes through his hair, messing it up instantly, and then, hand in hand, the two get into the elevator that’s supposed to bring them to the top floor.

As the doors open he’s greeted with balloons nearly flying inside. The sounds of happy children fill his ears and he smiles instantly, once again reminded of those two happy children that must be overjoyed at having so much company now.

“Peter, MJ, welcome!” Susan greets them with a hug the moment she sees them. She takes their coats and hangs them up somewhere before turning to MJ. “My, you’re about to explode, aren’t you?”

MJ chuckles. “Tell me about it,” she jokes. “After this I’m not doing anything for nine months. He can do all the work.”

Peter feels his cheeks flush.

“I get it,” Sue jokes. “I remember when I was at the end of my third term with both of them. Was about ready to pull them out myself. Being pregnant gets tiring after a while, right?”

“Aaaand I guess that’s my queue.” Peter points to somewhere before him. “You gals catch up, I’m gonna go find the birthday girl and give her my present.”

“Sure thing, Tiger.” MJ winks at him, causing for Peter to smirk back.

He finds Valeria soon enough. The ten-year-old jumps into his arms the moment she sees him, shouting out his name happily while refusing to let him go.

“Whoa, little mermaid,” Peter greets her, seeing as she’s wearing a dress from the Disney Princess. She kicks her feet happily, not hitting him at least. Not too far away from her is Franklin, giving him a toothy smile.

“Hey Peter,” he greets her. The twelve-year-old salutes him. “Glad to see you haven’t changed.”

“Haven’t changed?” Peter looks back down. “Buddy, if I hadn’t changed I would have looked more like a mess!”

“Wasn’t talking about your clothes, you doofus.” Franklin rolls his eyes in amusement. Once Valeria detaches herself from him, Peter approaches the young boy and the two hug once, too. “Why has it been so long since we saw each other last?”

“Oh, that’s because your Uncle couldn’t handle me anymore.”

It’s easier to joke about it now, but even as Peter’s got his life back on track it rips at something inside him to think back of that time. Unknowingly he rubs at his chest. In the year that Johnny broke up with him he had lost so much weight his entire family started worrying. Eventually even Dr. Thatch realized that it was getting worse and she got him on even heavier medication.

That hadn’t been a nice time, since he’d pretty much walk around without any emotion for a couple of months. After that, eventually, they built down the meds up to the point where they were back to his antidepressants.

They worked through his PTSD as much as they could, but such a thing is never completely cured. Yet, despite that there haven’t been any more attacks based on trauma. It’s been fairly calm inside his brain.

And that’s, eventually, when he and MJ started dating again.

It had been a surprise to say the least. Neither of them had been expecting it, at least. But at one point they were suddenly kissing, and a couple of months later they moved in together. Now they’re married, too. They’ve basically adopted a teenager without realizing it (Though Peter can’t quite let Miles go since he’s still a bit too reckless), and they’ve got a daughter on the way.

Peter’s happy. He really is. He feels stable at last, and MJ, too, seems extremely happy. Things shouldn’t really change at all.

They get the whole party together to have cake. That’s when Peter sees Johnny first. The boy is telling some sort of story to Valeria’s friends, using fire to create shadow puppets. The kids listen to him intently, and even Peter feels curious as to what he’s talking about. When their eyes meet they wave at each other once, and Johnny gives Peter a smile.

Things haven’t quite been the same after they separated. While Johnny claimed that they worked better as friends they’ve barely hung out anymore. Johnny moved to LA, but eventually returned back to New York last year. Peter’s not too sure about any relationships, but he does know Johnny’s been on some (public) dates.

That’s good. Time goes on, after all.

The party lasts a good while. Peter talks to about everybody who’s there, losing MJ more often than not as she’s sharing pregnancy-stories with Liz, who is holding her infant son in her arms. God, how they’ve all grown up. Harry’s a parent now! Who could believe it?

At one point Peter’s had a bit enough of the crowd. He starts wandering around the place, recognizing the rooms as if nothing’s changed at all. He passes the room that used to be Johnny’s but doesn’t stop, instead moving on until he gets to the bathroom. There he takes a moment to splash some water on his face and enjoy the feel of the drops rolling down his skin. He closes his eyes, yet his body shakes as a warning that somebody’s going to join him.

Much like expected, the door opens. When Peter looks aside he finds franklin standing there, looking not at all startled that Peter is here.

“Hey,” Peter greets him. The kid nods.

“Hey,” he returns. He moves to the sink and goes to wash his hands. “Can I just say something?”

Peter smiles, though curious. “Sure,” he says.

“I’m sorry.”

Now he frowns, leaning back while he tries to find any particular reason as to why Franklin would suddenly apologize like that.

“Excuse me?” he asks when he can’t get to a simple explanation for it inside his mind. Franklin lowers his head and sighs loudly.

“I’m just sorry,” he repeats. It’s followed by the faintest smile, though his expression looks more exhausted than anything. After that, he heads out of the bathroom, leaving Peter to stand there alone. He clears his throat, blinking a couple of times in confusion before shaking his head.

“That kid…” he scratches his head while deep in thought. Just as he’s about to head out, the door opens again. This time Johnny comes in. The two of them startle as they look at each other, Johnny ever the bit taller than Peter looking down while Peter looks up.

“Pete,” Johnny breathes out. They haven’t spoken in a long time. Once they used to be extremely close, but now it’s been months since Peter’s seen him. Probably years since they’ve had an actual long conversation, too.

Seeing those bright eyes again after such a long time, that tugging at Peter’s chest gets increasingly worse. He’s yet to move. The same goes for Johnny who lets the door close behind him, yet hasn’t made a step forward.

It’s almost like he can see a movie happening inside Johnny’s eyes. He can’t look away, seeing everything in front of him in so much detail, it’s almost startling.

_New Year’s Eve 2027_

Johnny returns from tucking Franklin in bed. He joins them at the dinner table, they continue with their evening. Nothing is wrong. After everybody’s gone to bed, the two go to Johnny’s old room. They say they love each other. They kiss, hug. They go to sleep. Everything’s good.

_January 2027_

They renew their contract on the apartment. With a smile they look brightly ahead at their future in front of them. Peter continues to go to MIT while Johnny gets himself a part-time job. When they fight crime it’s always together. They’re in love.

The Richards-family announces they’re moving to California. Johnny decides to stay in New York. With Peter.

_February 2027_

They go diving in Mexico for Valentine’s day. They’re having the time of their lives. In the evening they go to a party in their hotel. There they dance together until it’s nearly morning. They make love, again and again. Never growing tired of each other.

_June 2027_

Peter graduates. Johnny’s the loudest in the crowd when his name is called out.

Together, they go to pride. They go with their group of friends. MJ and Shuri talk on the phone. They agree to meet up next time Shuri’s back in the States. The whole day is perfect. After his speech as the special guest of Pride, Johnny goes down on one knee and proposes for real this time.

Peter says yes.

_March 2028_

Their wedding is probably too big for Peter’s tastes, but his entire family is there and that’s enough for him. They get married without a single doubt. From the altar Peter can see MJ and Shuri sitting next to each other, holding hands as well. Everything looks perfect.

_May 2030_

Harry asked Peter to his son Normie’s godfather. Peter says yes.

Johnny and Peter visit the adoption agency bureau. It takes a while to get the paperwork in order, but by the time they are legally allowed to they search around for a surrogate mother. MJ is the first one to offer.

_April 2030_

Annie is born. Agreeing for co-parenting, Shuri becomes her legal parent as well. The girl has stolen their hearts and they love her to infinity. Holding her close, Johnny and Peter hug each other tightly, disbelieving of this actually happening. MJ announces Shuri asked her to marry her.

_November 2032_

Annie’s at Shuri and MJ’s. Peter and Johnny go out for a much-needed date, making another public appearance. They end up making love again and again, eventually falling asleep all tangled into each other. The morning after go and pick her back up. They make it a trip, going to the zoo.

_June 2035_

They love each other.

_June 2038_

They still love each other.

_June 2045_

Still in love.

_June 2050_

Are they…?

Yes, they are.

Still in love.

Peter blinks a couple of times after that strange sort of vision ends. He feels something itching at his cheek and when he feels for it he notices a tear has been rolling down. Quickly he wipes at it. In front of him Johnny looks about the same. Peter clears his throat, sniffing once through his nose.

_What was that?_

From the look in Johnny’s face it seems like he’s seen the same thing, too. Johnny averts his eyes, walking around Peter to get to the sink. There he leans his hands on it, glancing at himself in the mirror. Peter doesn’t speak. There are no words to say, after all.

He knows that what he just saw is how his life could have been had what happened that particular New Year’s Eve never happened.

Peter lets out a long breath. He feels frozen in place, like he should say something to Johnny now that they’re both here. But he can’t. There’s nothing he can say. Nothing that will make things be better. It’s not like something can change now. Peter’s with MJ. They’re expecting a daughter together. They’ve already chosen her name, too. Annie. Much like in that vision.

Peter toys with his wedding ring, feeling nervous and sad. Ad about a life that could have been.

Eventually, Johnny looks up at him. Peter’s eyes widen, like he’s almost expecting Johnny to speak.

But instead, Johnny smiles at him. It’s a sad, though ever-meaning smile.

Peter smiles back, not even hesitating at all. It lasts for a few seconds before Johnny turns his face away again and Peter walks out of the bathroom to rejoin his wife and their friends.

In the end, they’ll always love each other. At least of that, Peter’s sure now.

* * *

_January 1 st, 2027_

“What’s wrong, kiddo?” Johnny sits down on Franklin bed after the kid has crawled back in, yet he doesn’t let go of his hand. He looks startled, sad. Like he’s at the verge of tears.

“Uncle Johnny,” Franklin complains with a sob before wrapping his little arms around Johnny.

“Frank, you’re starting to worry me.” Johnny gently strokes his nephew’s back and holds him close.

“I had a bad dream, Uncle Johnny! And it felt so real, it was scary! It was like one of those dreams that’s supposed to come true like I’ve had before!”

“A precognitive dream? What was it about?”

With his face still pressed close to Johnny’s chest, the kid starts talking. “I saw Uncle Peter with a woman. She had dark skin and a lot of hair on her head. And she was pregnant, and they were married. They had like a ring on their finger. And then they kissed! But Uncle Peter can’t kiss another woman, right? He’s with you now, right?”

Johnny freezes on the spot. He tightens his hold on Franklin unknowingly.

“What are you- are you sure?” he tries.

“I’m sure!” And Franklin holds out his hand to Johnny, a gesture that indicates he wants to show him his thoughts. Johnny is hesitant, afraid of what he’s going to see, but eventually he nods. When Franklin’s finger touches Johnny’s forehead he sees it all exactly how Franklin described it.

Peter and MJ. Married. Expecting a child.

Johnny takes a shivering breath and pulls away from his nephew. A tear rolls down his cheek and he closes his eyes. His heart aches, his entire chest feeling like it’s going to rip apart.

“Uncle Johnny!” Franklin shouts in worry. Johnny shakes his head.

“I’m fine,” he assures him. It’s a lie.

They knew from the beginning that this would probably not last. That they’re surely going to break up eventually. Nobody thinks it’s meant to be at the beginning of the relationship. But the past few months, somehow, Johnny has started to think that, maybe, this is it. This _is_ meant to be. And he had started planning ahead, thinking about their future together.

But now, seeing this… he realizes they don’t have a future together. Because in the end it’s always meant to be MJ. Not him.

“I don’t like that you’re sad, Uncle Johnny,” Franklin complains while wrapping his arms around Johnny once more. “It was just a bad dream, right?”

“Right.” Johnny fakes a smile. Once Franklin pulls away again he lies back down in the bed. Johnny tucks him in by pulling his sheets up. He strokes Franklin’s hair and kisses his forehead. “You sleep tight, okay?”

“Okay,” the kid responds. “Good night, uncle Johnny.”

Johnny waits a couple of seconds before turning off the lights. He closes Franklin’s door as he’s old enough not to have it kept open the entire night now. The next move is contemplating whether or not he should return to the dining room.

On one hand, returning means he can be with Peter again. Right now, after getting that piece of information from Franklin, Johnny feels extremely territorial and wants to keep him close. But, another part of him stands still, unable to move while his hand presses against his chest.

 _Is this what it will be like?_ Johnny sighs. _Will I see him pulling away from me more and more until he gets back together with MJ?_

Johnny throws his head back against the door. He takes another deep breath through the nose and clears his throat. To his right is his former bedroom from when he still lived in this building. By now the place has been shifted into a clutter room for Reed, though despite everything the bed is still there.

He gets back to his room without thinking about it. Once inside he walks up to the window and has a look outside.

Is it better to have the person you love slowly disappear from you?

Or is it better to take matters into his own hands and just take action?

Johnny’s not sure. The more he thinks about it, the less he seems to know. Drag it out? Or a nice, clean cut?

“Johnny? I was wondering where you went?”

Johnny turns, wiping away the tears he barely noticed before. There stands Peter, as beautiful as ever. Always so innocent-looking. One can’t help but want to hug him all the time.

“Pete, hey. Sorry, got kinda nostalgic, is all.” Johnny chuckles faintly. “This place used to be my home once, yet now my former bedroom is being used as a storage for all this extra crap Reed doesn’t even need.

Peter walks up to him, standing behind and wrapping his arms around Johnny in a soft hug. With his head over Johnny’s shoulder he speaks.

“You sure you’re okay?” he asks. Johnny leans into him even before he can stop himself. While he thinks all his possible answers over a couple come to mind, like telling Peter the truth and the two of them figuring it out together. Like just staying quiet and never mention it, just hope that it was just a dream and not a glimpse of the future… There are a couple of possibilities he can’t even name.

But nothing looks like it will work. At least not enough for Johnny’s tastes. Which is why the next thing he responds is a lie.

“Of course, why wouldn’t I be?”

The end

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I guess I didn't actually get to explain the reason as to why Shuri broke up with MJ. I wanted to work it into some part here but never found a good way to do so without forcing it too much. So, here's the explanation I had in mind.  
> At one point, T'Challa ends up in a coma, leading for Shuri to take over his king-duties in the time that he's out, as well as having to take over the mantle of the Black Panther. Knowing that being with MJ will be too much of a distraction for her to perform her duties well, she chooses her country over her girlfriend as she knows she will barely have time for MJ as long as T'Challa is out. 
> 
> No, Peter still doesn't know why exactly Johnny broke up with him. He's not going to know, unless I change my mind somewhere in the future. Who knows what time will bring! 
> 
> (Is it too obvious the ending is a little bit inspired by La La Land?? :o )

**Author's Note:**

> Please, feel free to point out any mistakes! It would be greatly appreciated!


End file.
